


Lost and Found

by Weaver_of_Fate



Series: (Old Series) Strained Bonds [2]
Category: Loki: Where Mischief Lies, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Amora Is A Bad Influence, Dorks in Love, F/M, Gen, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Torture, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Manipulative Relationship, Past Torture, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Protective Loki (Marvel), References to Jane Austen, References to Norse Religion & Lore, References to Shakespeare, So spoilers for that I guess?, Some scenes are inspired by Loki: Where Mischief Lies, Songfic, Stan Lee Cameo, Theo Bell (Loki: Where Mischief Lies) - Freeform, Thor Needs a Hug (Marvel), Tony Makes A Brief Cameo, Verity (Agent of Asgard)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weaver_of_Fate/pseuds/Weaver_of_Fate
Summary: A year after Loki takes Asgard's throne, he goes to earth to try and find his lover, Lady Sigyn. With her help, he starts to learn that there may be more to this mortal-filled planet than he originally thought. But even when he tries to change, it would seem that Odin was right. Wherever he goes, there is war, ruin, and death. The question is, will he embrace it?
Relationships: Loki/Sigyn (Marvel)
Series: (Old Series) Strained Bonds [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931257
Kudos: 15





	1. A Million Dreams

Loki took in a deep breath as he watched the clouds roll by high above him, lying in the palace gardens with his arms folded behind his head. Thor had gone out hunting, so the palace was peacefully quiet. For now, anyway. Today was the day either Thor or Loki would be chosen to be king, and even though Loki had an inkling of who would be chosen, he still held out hope that maybe he'd be chosen. But he didn't want to think about that right now. He just wanted to enjoy the peaceful air around him. No parties, no boisterous laughter, just the calm wind blowing through his hair and the snap of a twig to his right... 

"Sigyn, you're terrible at sneaking up on me." Loki chuckled. 

"Ugh, I almost had you." His beloved's face came into view above him, a cute little pout on her lips before she lay down beside him. 

"No, you didn't." Loki chuckled. 

And then a swan fluttered down and landed on his left side, tilting her head as she folded her wings. 

His eyebrows raised. "You perfected transformation, I'm impressed." 

Amora laughed as she changed back into her normal, enchanting form, lying on her side with her chin propped up on her fist to look him in the eye. "It's the only thing I could manage, but I quite like it." 

"It suits you." Loki snorted. "Beautiful, elegant, annoying as all hell--" 

"Hey!" She smacked his shoulder as the three shared a laugh, the young enchantress plopping down on her back to watch the sky with them. 

"It's a beautiful day." Sigyn sighed pleasantly, and Loki turned his head to see a beautiful smile on her face. 

"Of course it is, Thor's not around." Loki smirked, making the girls laugh again. 

"Oh, come on, he isn't so bad." Amora chuckled. "A little boorish, perhaps, but he means well." 

"He's an idiot." Loki puffed. "How much you wanna bet he'll come back with a bite from Jormungandr on his arm because he accidentally fished him out, _again_? Honestly, Amora, I don't know what you see in him." 

"Well, I definitely know what he sees in me~." Amora purred, sweeping her hand across her body to show off her curves. Many young men fell for her the moment they laid eyes on her and she knew it. Well, everyone except those who were in very happy relationships, like Loki. 

"Yes, because he's a predictable, idiotic oaf." Loki scoffed. 

"Now love, he still has some growing up to do." Sigyn chastised him. At his dubious expression, she sheepishly added, " _A lot_ of growing up to do. But he will, just be patient with him." 

Loki sighed heavily and looked back up at the sky. "If you could have anything you want, change anything to make it better, what would you want?" 

Sigyn looked curious at his change of subject but played along. "Well... I would love to be a singer, to travel the Nine Realms." She smiled wistfully and absently played with Loki's hair, something that made his pale face flush. "But I also want to make the people of Asgard happy, to have other creatures from the Nine Realms visit and watch as their children play together." 

Loki smiled softly. He thought she would be a perfect singer. she already hypnotized him with her siren-like voice. And of course, her sweet heart would beg her to do something good for the people of the Realms. 

"I want to be a queen." Amora spoke up, breaking his train of thought. 

"If you marry Thor, I swear to the Norns." Loki stated bluntly, making Amora laugh. 

"Darling, I don't even like him that way...!" Amora snickered with a small shrug. "He's a little too reckless for my taste. And besides, we all know you're practically guaranteed to inherit the throne at this rate, anyway." 

Sigyn sat up and gave Amora a hilariously serious glare. "You're not marrying Loki." 

This time, Loki joined Amora in their shared fits of laughter. 

"Ew, no! He's all yours, honey." Amora waved her hand.

"You could always just marry the Dark Elf king, I don't think he's married yet." Sigyn teased, her jealous aura quickly easing up. 

"He's several centuries older than me, and besides, me ruling that dark place??" Amora snorted. "Pass. I'd much rather have someplace like Asgard. Like Vanaheim! Vanaheim doesn't really have a proper ruler, since Queen Frigga is here, so maybe I'll be appointed there." 

"Always so ambitious." Loki chuckled. 

"At least one of us is, dear Loki." Amora smirked at him, sitting up as well. "Thor is much too immature to take the throne, and unless Odin is incredibly stupid, your dreams are already coming true." 

Loki frowned at her words. "Actually... I'm fairly certain Thor is going to get it anyway." 

Amora scoffed. "That's absurd." 

Sigyn frowned. "Well... he _is_ Odin's eldest, so unless he's disinherited, he's still in line for the throne." 

Amora rolled her eyes at her logic before the three perked up as trumpets began to sound, signaling the return of Asgard's prince and his hunting party. 

"Joy, Thor must be arriving." Loki said dryly. 

Sigyn gave him a little smile. "Don't be like that, Loki." Then her smile became apologetic as she kissed his cheek. "I have to change for the feast, but I'll meet you there. I'm sure everything will turn out perfectly." 

Loki smiled gently at her. "You're always so positive." he said gratefully as she walked away. 

"Just for you, my Lie-Smith." She gave him that radiant smile of hers that never failed to make his heart melt. 

The two watched her go and Loki began to sit up when Amora leaned close to him. "Why do you think Thor's going to take the throne?" 

Loki looked at her then let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, I don't know, he's the warrior son Odin is always so proud of, he never questions father at all, he's so much better than I am, he gets away with _everything_ while I get punished--!" 

Amora cut off his ranting, her voice soft yet confident. "You'd be a much better king than Thor. I mean, Thor doesn't even have a _fraction_ of the power you possess." 

Loki looked up at her with a frown, his shoulders falling. "He's still Odin's favorite. As baffling as it is. When he looks at me, he just..." Loki grimaced and looked away. "All he sees is a disappointment, a magician, not a noble warrior who rushes into battle and inspires the troops with his strength alone." 

Amora took his chin and guided his eyes back to hers, deep green eyes with hints of gold glinting in the sunlight. "I think Odin is scared of you." Then she smirked. "He's an idiot if he isn't. You're no soldier or some magician with simple parlor tricks, you're a sorcerer. You won't just be a serpent in the grass. You'll be a dragon soaring through the sky." 

She looked up at the sky and he followed her gaze, watching as a falcon soared across the blue sky. Loki let her words seep into him, letting the pride he had been forbidden from feeling all his life fill his chest. He was powerful, more powerful than Thor. 

Just before the feast, he and Thor stood side by side before their father as he sat on his throne, Thor with that ridiculous feathered helmet and Loki with his own horned one. Thor had a confident smile on his face, one that Loki despised, but he kept his chin up and his face even. 

"The time has come to choose my heir." Odin announced to the crowd of people all around them. Sitting beside him was Asgard's most powerful weapon, the hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, the symbol of kingship. 

Glancing to the side, Loki spotted his mother, his lover, and his close friend all standing together. Sigyn was smiling encouragingly, such a sweet smile that made his heart flutter. Amora, meanwhile, looked quite confident and for some reason wiggled her fingers in a very flirtatious way at him. But he quickly realized she was waving at Thor, who Loki noticed was waving back slightly. 

"Asgard has been blessed with two great princes." Odin continued, his voice filling the large throne room, and he reached down to pick up the hammer. "But there can only be one king." 

Loki sucked in a sharp breath and tilted his chin up a little higher, his hands folded behind his back to hide their shaking under his cape. For the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, he could be worthy of his father. 

But that hope was snuffed out as his father held Mjolnir out to his brother. 

"Thor, my eldest son, you shall wield Mjolnir, and lead our kingdom into an era of greatness." 

Loki could only watch helplessly as his brother walked up the stairs to kneel before his father, loathing the barely-hidden excited smile on that oaf's face. He could hear the crowd around him roaring, but it was all muffled to him as he was left standing there, his hands dropping to his side limply in complete and utter devastation. 

"Carry her with pride, my son," Loki could just make out Odin saying to Thor, "and wield her wisely." 

"I will not disappoint you, Father." Thor grinned and stood up, holding the hammer up for all the world to see. 

The crowd's roars were renewed by the sight of Mjolnir. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sigyn cover her mouth, her blue eyes incredibly sympathetic, but Frigga's hand on her shoulder kept her from running to his side. He couldn't quite tell what Amora was feeling, her gaze locked on Thor and her face completely expressionless. If he weren't so caught up in his own crippling anguish, he might've thought it unsettling. 

"When Thor is ready to take the throne," Odin continued, forcing the crowds to quiet down, "Loki will be appointed as his loyal courtier at his side, to help guide him throughout his reign." 

The cheering resumed once again, but Loki felt nothing. He didn't even notice when Thor climbed down the stairs and returned to his side until he was yanked into a giant bear hug. Usually, he would fight Thor's painful hugs, but... he couldn't bring himself to care. 

"I did it, Loki, I'm going to be king!" Thor beamed at him, an idiotic, detestable smile planted on his face. But then it faded, probably because Loki wasn't responding at all. "Loki? Are you alright?" 

Only then did Loki's body catch up with his mind and he cleared his throat, waving his brother away. "Y-Yes, I'm fine, perfectly happy, even." he lied, cursing himself for his brief stutter. "Congratulations. I always knew you'd be chosen." 

His words did their job in making Thor smile, but it was clear that he had not been convincing, considering how weak that smile was. Thor opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but Loki walked away before he could and Thor's friends swarmed him soon after, preventing him from pursuing his brother. Not that Loki expected him to. 

Loki's fists clenched as the crowds continued to cheer for Thor, as his brother was praised by everyone while he was simply given his table scraps. He was nothing a serpent in the grass, doomed to slither across the dirt while those born with wings flew high above him. 

Sigyn quickly went to his side as he passed by, reaching out her hand, "Loki, I'm so sorry..." 

But he waved her away too. "I need some air." 

"Loki..." his mother called for him, but he just continued on, leaving behind the cheering crowds and the few people he truly believed cared about him. 

No one was around to witness his fit of rage, to hear his screaming curses as he practically tore his room apart. And when all was said and done, he just fell to his knees in the center of the chaotic mess he'd made, clutching his hair and trying to blink back the tears that refused to stop falling from his eyes. 

Maybe that was when it really started. When the seeds of hate began to grow into thorny vines that coiled around his heart so tightly, it threatened to destroy him. But all he knew now was that he had to prove himself, he would work twice as hard and prove he was worthy, not that idiotic oaf. 

And it was that drive that led Asgard into the prosperous era it was in today. But no longer was he driven by the need to prove himself to his father. No, that hope died long ago and he would make sure it would stay dead. He didn't need Odin to define him. And when he finally let go of that obsession, of the anger that drove him mad, he was finally able to accomplish what he truly wanted in life. 

Loki smiled gently as he rode Sleipnir through the city, the stallion trotting slow enough to allow him to take in the sights all around him. It was nice to actually admire the arcitecture of the buildings rather than be blinded by the sun glinting off those ugly golden roofs. In the marketplace, Vanir and Light Elf merchants were setting up their shops while their children played with the Asgardian children. Sparks of magic flew through the air all around him and he watched with pride as Asgard's future looked on in awe and practically begged their new friends to teach them. 

This was the kingdom he wished he grew up in as a child. The kingdom he couldn't wait to show Sigyn. 

Sleipnir snorted at him when they finally arrived at the observatory and he climbed down, dropping his disguise to pet the stallion. "I'll be back soon, alright? And so will Sigyn. Aren't you excited to see her again?" 

The stallion whinnied with approval and nudged his chest as if to tell him to get going already. He laughed and pet Sleipnir's neck before he approached the Seer who was waiting for him. 

"Are you ready?" Heimdall asked, his hands wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword. 

Loki took a deep breath as he summoned an illusion over him, taking on his younger appearance from just before he fell from the Bifrost, with shorter hair and a black suit he'd seen some humans wear. "I'm ready. 

Heimdall nodded and opened up the Bifrost with a twist of his sword. "Have a safe journey, my King." 

Loki looked back at him and smiled gently. "Thank you." he said before he was sucked into the Bifrost's swirling magic. 

Earth hadn't changed much since his last visit. It was still noisy, still chaotic, still... earthy. But he just told himself that he wouldn't be here for long, he just needed to find Sig and bring her home. 

He moved through the streets of New York with ease, keeping his eyes right on Stark's tower. Well, it wasn't quite 'Stark' tower anymore, rather the 'Avenger's Tower,' but he still thought of it as Stark's. When he finally got there, he stood in front of the tall tower and pursed his lips thoughtfully. It was a _huge_ risk to use Stark's tech to find her, but as far as he knew, Stark's tech was the most advanced on this planet, and he might still have footage of Germany. 

But what if he ran into Stark? Or any of the other Avengers? Or _Thor_? 

The thought of running into his brother made his heart drop and his stomach twisted with nausea more and more with every possibility running through his mind. Being bludgeoned to death with Mjolnir, being thrown in the dungeons never to see Sigyn ever again, having his brother scream at him for his betrayal and trickery, blue eyes welled with tears of anger and despair at being 'tricked' again, oh gods, maybe this was a bad idea-- 

"Don't overthink it, princey." 

Loki snapped out of his distressing thoughts to find an old man in sunglasses standing by him, giving him a big grandfatherly smile. 

"You're not gonna find her just standing there gawking like a fish." he told him, wagging a frail finger at him sternly, though his voice was nothing but kind. "Just make sure you don't throw it away, alright? You can change for the better." 

Loki blinked in confusion as the man patted his shoulder and walked away, and he had a feeling that he should _know_ that man. He turned his gaze back up towards the tower, and with the old man's words replaying in his head, he took a breath and used his illusions to hide from everyone's eyes, transforming into a falcon and flying up to reach the balcony. 


	2. Bad Blood

"Mornin', JARVIS." Tony greeted as he walked into the elevator. 

_"Good morning, sir."_ the AI replied. 

"Any sign of the rest of the team?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 

_"Thor is in the penthouse, he came in through the balcony, but my camera system seems to be malfunctioning."_

Tony paused for a moment, furrowed his brow in confusion. "I thought I fixed those, like, last year. When did it start?" 

_"Right when Thor arrived, sir, he greeted me, and then I stopped functioning up in the penthouse. I have tried rebooting the cameras, but that doesn't seem to work."_

Tony immediately felt suspicion rise, his mind going a million miles per hour thinking of all the possibilities. "Are you sure it was Thor?" 

_"It looked like him, sir."_

'Looked like.' There was only one guy he knew that could imitate people down to a T, and that guy was _supposed_ to be dead. "JARVIS, open the top of the elevator." 

_"Yes, sir."_

The top of the elevator opened within seconds, and in flew the arm blaster of his suit, attaching to his arm automatically. The rest of it was in the penthouse and he'd rather not make a scene before he could figure out what the hell was going on. The last thing he needed was this guy to book it when he realized he'd been caught. 

"Make sure the elevator ding doesn't do the ding, either." Tony told his AI a few floors before he made it to the penthouse. 

The elevator doors opened with no ding (thanks, JARVIS) and he very carefully stepped inside, doing his best not to make any noise. He could hear a voice muttering and as he slowly turned a corner, he saw a figure messing with his hologram tech, looking through old files from two years ago. 

"Come on, come on... Curse this Midgardian technology...!" 

A cold shot of what Tony refused to call fear began to spread through his chest, but he did his best to shake it off, lifting his arm and making the energy whirr to life, aimed for his head. "Looking for something, Reindeer Games?" 

Loki stopped moving as camera footage soundlessly played around him, and he slowly raised his hands before turning around with a small smirk. "Good to see you too, Stark." he greeted casually. 

"Thor said you were dead." 

"Well, my brother is wrong about many things." Loki chuckled softly. "But contrary to what you may believe, I'm not here to cause any trouble." 

Tony snorted, summoning the rest of his suit to stand beside him armed and ready. "Uh-huh, that's like dividing by 0, ya can't do it." Now that he thought about it, it was awfully coincidental that this guy was here now. "You took that scepter, didn't you? Tell me where it is, and maybe you can keep your pretty face." 

"Aww, you think I'm pretty." Loki smirked, looking way too amused for Tony's liking before his smile faded and was replaced with a look of confusion. "Wait, the scepter's missing?" 

"Why else would you be here??" Tony puffed. 

Loki's face dropped and Tony noted that he looked kind of pale before he smacked himself on the forehead. "You _lost_ the scepter??" 

That... wasn't the reaction he expected. He was expecting, like, smartass remarks and smug taunting, not frustration. 

"Hey, hey, we didn't _lose_ the scepter, it was stolen." Tony corrected him, his voice sounding thoroughly offended. 

"And yet you're asking me where it is." Loki scoffed. 

"So what, you're upset you couldn't get the scepter first?" Tony guessed. Again, why else would this insane megalomaniac be wandering around _his_ penthouse, using _his_ tech? 

But to his surprise, Loki just snorted, looking like he was about to laugh. "Oh please, you can keep that cursed thing _far_ away from me." 

What was this guy playing at?? He didn't have the scepter, apparently, and he didn't even seem to want it? 

"Then what the hell are you doing in my penthouse?" 

"Sightseeing." Loki said in a dry tone, then he pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "Listen, I know we've had our... differences--" 

"Understatement of the freaking millennia." 

"--but I can help you locate the scepter." 

Tony blinked at him once, then twice. Uh... did he just say what he thought he just said? "Excuse me?" 

"I don't want that bloody thing loose on the world, it's caused enough damage as it is." Loki replied in a serious tone, folding his arms across his chest. "I was linked to it for a while, so I could probably give you a general idea of where to look." 

Tony scoffed at his words. "I've got machines for that." 

"And they're doing a marvelous job, aren't they?" Loki replied snarkily. "I help you, and you show me the files you have on Germany. I'm..." 

For the first time, Tony watched Loki hesitate. His face twisted slightly, as if arguing with himself about whether or not to say more. And after a moment, he continued, his voice surprisingly low. 

"I'm looking for someone." 

His hand flexed warily. "Who?" 

Again, hesitation. And then the trickster took a deep breath. 

"Her name is Sigyn. She's from Asgard, thought to be dead for centuries, but I believe I saw her in Germany that day. I just want to find her and bring her home, nothing else." 

Tony was quiet for a long moment, pondering, trying to find any trace of a lie on this guy's face. "...Scepter first." 

"Very well." Loki turned right back around and removed the video holograms, replacing them with a hologram of the earth. He muttered something in a language Tony didn't really understand before he started moving his hand over the European and Asian parts of the map, like a weird metal-detector type of thing. 

"Why come here of all places, anyway?" Tony asked, genuinely curious about why his once enemy had decided to come _here_. "If you're not here for the scepter?" 

"As far as I know, your technology is the most advanced this planet has to offer." Loki replied, eyes trained on the hologram. "And besides, I had a feeling you wouldn't immediately blast me." 

"Why's that?" Tony raised an eyebrow. 

Loki glanced back at him and smiled slightly. It wasn't a smirk, just... a normal, almost sad smile. "You know what it's like to be manipulated into doing things you didn't even realize you were doing." 

Tony was almost certain all the blood had drained out of his face, suddenly wondering where the hell Loki got that information. 

"I see it in your eyes." Loki told him, and Tony wondered if the bastard could somehow read his damn mind. "You still hold a lot of guilt for whatever you did in your past, even though you didn't fully realize what it was you were doing wrong. And I think you see it in me, too." 

Tony opened his mouth to retort or laugh in his face, but... nothing came out, and Loki went right back to work, eventually pointing out a location. 

"It should be around here." 

Tony looked to the map. "JARVIS, zoom in on that." 

JARVIS did as he was asked, zooming in on the country known as Sokovia. 

_"There does appear to be faint energy readings that match that of the Mind Stone."_ JARVIS informed him. 

Tony stared at that spot in the map for a moment, before glancing at the Asgardian, who was watching him expectantly. With a grunt, he finally powered down his blasters and sent the suit away. "JARVIS, pull up everything we have on Germany." Then he pointed a stern finger at Loki. "30 minutes, then you're gone." 

"I was never here." Loki replied with a surprisingly bright face before he immediately started looking through the files. 

Tony would probably regret this, but he just went to grab a drink from the bar, keeping an eye on Loki the entire time. And all the while, he reflected on what the hell was happening. This guy, who tried to take over the world and almost killed Coulson, was helping him find the scepter. For his own reasons, obviously, but... still. This was _not_ the guy he fought just two years prior, this was... someone completely different. 

And... his words, about being manipulated, nagged at him. What was he talking about? He literally waltzed in here with a sick smile on his face ready to turn him against the rest of his team. And yet... Tony couldn't completely convince himself that it was so cut and dry. There was such a drastic difference between the past Loki and the current Loki that there _had_ to be something more to this. He was missing a piece of the puzzle, and he made a mental note that he would have to look back on the footage of the alien attack later... 

Tony was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed that Loki had stopped looking through the files and was staring at a picture. He curiously looked back up to see the face of a young woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bunch of freckles all over her face. She was cute, he admitted, but never would he have imagined that anyone could make Loki look so... hypnotized, he supposed was the word. He was gawking for a solid minute, just staring at the woman's face and taking it all in. 

When he finally seemed to snap out of it, he used Tony's tech to track down her information. When her info popped up, Tony took a quick glance at it, memorizing it quite easily. Jolene Brook, age 24, lived very close by actually. 

Loki looked over it as well before he closed the holograms and hurried off to the balcony. 

"Don't make me regret this." Tony called after him. 

Loki paused for a moment and looked back at him, before giving him a light smile. "Thank you, Stark. And be careful with that Stone." 

Then, he turned into a freaking falcon and flew away. And Tony poured himself another drink. He really hoped he hadn’t made a mistake gambling on that girl’s life.   
  
What a day. 


	3. We'll Meet Again

Jolene had led a fairly normal life for the past 12 years. She got a job as a relatively well-paying job as a journalist, especially with her uncanny ability to speak multiple languages, she made friends, got her own place. It was almost enough to distract from the fact that she had no memory of the family she must've had at one point, nothing to link her to her past other than a few items she'd had on her when she'd been found. For 12 years, life had been going well.

Until Germany, anyway. 

But that was two years ago, and in that time, she had worked hard to just leave it all behind her. It was easier that way, just focusing on work and living her life without constantly thinking about the madman that had caused chaos from the moment he had stepped into that room. It was easier to move on without remembering the horrified screams of everyone around her as they ran to get out of the building, nearly trampling her in the process. But not one day passed that she didn't thank her lucky stars that she'd been held up in Germany during the attack on New York. 

Now she was in her apartment, listening to music from the 1940s on her phone while she waited on her stew to be finished. She leaned on the counter in her kitchen, looking over the beautiful green fan with golden embroidery that had the name 'Sigyn' stitched into the fabric on the end piece for what must've been the thousandth time now, brushing her thumb over the name. For 12 years, she had never gone anywhere without this fan, always keeping it close to her. And even when she feared that she'd lost it, on the subway or walking through Times Square, it somehow always reappeared near her. 

She had always wondered where it came from, why it held so much unknown meaning to her to the point where she'd gladly let some robber take her money just so she could keep it. At some point, she'd simply come to the conclusion that it had been her mother's, that perhaps it was a gift passed down from her. But that didn't quite sound right in her head, she wasn't sure why. But no matter the case, it was the only thing she had that linked her to some unknown past, that reassured her she must've had someone who cared at least once in her life. 

_"We'll meet again_

_Don't know where, don't know when_

_But I know we'll meet again some sunny day..."_

She smiled a little at the song, beginning to sway her hops and sing along. Despite how old the song was by now, it always gave her hope that one day, she'd find her family, find out where she truly belonged. 

"Keep smiling through, just like you always do 

Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away" 

Jolene held the fan against her chest as she gave a little spin, smiling hopefully. She just had to keep her chin up and have faith that one day, her past would come knocking on her door. 

But then she heard a noise that made her stop and pause her music. It was a weird shuffling sound. She put the fan down on the counter and peered out of the kitchen into the living room to see what that noise was, when her eyes landed on a beautiful falcon that had somehow flown in through her slightly open window. "Oh...! Hello, there...!" 

Her eyes lit up as the falcon hopped closer, and was quite curious to find it had green eyes. Funny, she didn't think they had green eyes. Maybe it was a rare trait...! 

She pushed her excitement down to slowly move over to the fridge to grab some meat, not wanting to scare the bird away. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?" 

The bird shuffled back a bit, and before she could try and toss it some meat, a green light began to swirl around it. 

She stumbled back in alarm, gawking at the swirling green that invaded her kitchen. "Oh, my--!" 

The falcon's form quickly began to change, growing larger, its feathers retracting and its body taking the shape of a human man. And within moments, she was staring at a regally-dressed man with raven black hair and a sharp face. He took in a deep breath and opened his bright green eyes. They stared at each other for several moments, before he suddenly rushed forward, pretty much yanking her into a tight hug. 

"Sigyn...! I can't believe it!" 

She flinched, but otherwise couldn't really react, still blinking in utter shock and disbelief. What on _earth_ just happened?? 

He soon pulled back, a beaming smile on his face as his hands rested on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?? We thought you were dead for so long...!"

She just stared at him for a few moments, opening and closing her mouth like a fish trying to form proper words. "I-I’m Sorry... d-do I... know you...??"

She was _pretty sure_ she would have remembered a guy who can shape-shift into a bird.

He blinked at her, looking surprised and confused. "Y... Yes, it's me, Loki. We were raised together. Don't you remember me?" 

Jolene's body was tense, her face no doubt showing how confused and unsure she felt. She swallowed but slowly shook her head, suddenly understanding what the problem was. "Sir... I don’t remember anything beyond 12 years ago..."

Jolene watched his face grow pale, and then fall with despair. "O-Oh, I see... well, what do you remember...?"

She slowly shrugged, unsure why she was telling this to a stranger anything, but he looked so heartbroken that she wasn’t the one he was looking for... she felt like he deserved an answer. "The first thing I remember is waking up in a hospital..." 

He furrowed his brow a little, his face painted with slight desperation. "Did you... have anything on you? Anything at all?" 

She pressed her lips together. "Well, I have..." She hurried back to the kitchen, then came back with her closed fan in her hand. "I have this..."

He stared at it with wide green eyes as he very gingerly took it in his hand. "I gave this to you..." he murmured, looking back at her. "It was your favorite." 

She stared at him, then down at the fan. "But... then why did you put my mother’s name in it?" 

He blinked at her. "You think Sigyn is your mother's name?"

She shrugged slowly. "I mean... most likely? My name is Jolene." 

He looked kind of horrified and he started pacing around, holding the fan close to him. "That- that doesn't make any sense, Sigyn wouldn't- unless _we_ -? No way, I'm certain we never went _that_ far... and she'd never abandon a child anyway... And no child is _this_ similar to just one parent..." 

She cluelessly watched him pace around, until he finally stopped and took a deep breath, visibly calming before he extended his hand to her. 

"Can I see your hand, please?"

She gave him a confused look but complied and offered her hand, which he took in his own surprisingly gentle grasp. She watched as he took a breath and closed his eyes, the same green light from earlier swirling around her wrist and up her forearm to her elbow. It kind of tickled, and oddly enough, it felt... really familiar. She felt a sort of tugging sensation on her arm like someone was trying to pull it up before a soft blue light seemed to seep out of her skin, swirling weakly around the green before vanishing. 

Loki opened his eyes, bright green eyes full of emotion as they seemed to become glossy. "It's you...! Sigyn...!" 

She blinked quickly at him. "I-I..."

"I know it seems crazy, but surely you've noticed that you never seem to age, right?" Loki asked.

She was very quiet at that and he knew by the look in her eyes that she had wondered that.

"You came from the same place Thor and I did." he told her. "A realm called Asgard. Everyone there lives for thousands of years." 

Her eyes were wide on him. "Then... why am I here...?" 

He winced a little. "A... creature attacked us when we were alone. I thought it killed you, but... you somehow ended up here, with no memory, and not even Heimdall could find you." 

She felt like she really needed to sit down, her mind reeling. Thankfully, Loki seemed to somehow read her mind and guided her over to her couch. 

She had to breathe for a second, trying to make it all come together in her mind. "But then... how are you here? If no one could find me?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I may or may not have snuck into Stark's tower to try and find you." 

She blinked. “How did you—“ then she looked at him a little closer, and she swore she recognized him from... somewhere. Then her eyes widened a bit. "Germany."

It all came flooding back to her. Terrifyingly manic blue eyes, a sadistic grin, a glowing blue cane that no doubt shattered the jaw the poor security guard that got in his way... 

His face pinched in a shameful way and he slowly nodded. "Yes... I was... the one who caused all that chaos... But believe me when l say... I certainly didn't _want_ to." 

She looked him over for any sign of deceit, but she lingered on his eyes... She thought they had been blue... but no... Green suited him much better... it felt right. And they didn't strike fear into her like those blue eyes had. "I thought your eyes were... blue..." 

He winced a little."That, ah... that was the scepter's influence..."

She found that she believed him. Green. They were supposed to be green... She knew this man from somewhere... before Germany. But what he said couldn’t be true...! Could it? It sounded _insane!_ But then again, there had been aliens and gods running around earth lately... And he did just turn from a falcon to a man within seconds. Maybe it wasn’t so impossible...

She took a deep breath. "This is... wow..."

"I know it's a lot to take in." he said, still holding her hand softly in his own.

She looked at their hands, unable to resist the sudden flush she felt in her face. She didn’t really know why, it just sort of... happened. "It’s... certainly not what I was expecting today..." 

He had to laugh softly, and she somehow knew it was a very rare kind of laugh that made a smile form on her face. "Oh, I'm certain."

She had to giggle a little, then blushed a bit. Oh, where were her manners? "A-Are you hungry? Can I get you something?" 

"Er... well, I am a little hungry." he admitted sheepishly. 

Jolene had to giggle softly at his slightly flushed cheeks before she got up and went back to the stew she had been making. "It’s just about done." She told him as she checked it, then looked down at herself and her face became bright, rosy pink. "Oh my gods, Uh...! I’ll be right back!"

She ran off to change into something better than pajamas, barely managing to catch him blinking at her in confusion. She was quick to get changed into something actually presentable, then hurried out to him.

"Sorry, Sorry, I’m back!" And she rushed to the stew and poured some into two bowls before she went back to him. "Here you go...!" 

He gave a light chuckle as took the bowl she handed to him. "Thank you, Songbird."

She blushed a bit. "Songbird?" 

His pale face flushed and he sheepishly rubbed the side of his neck. "Er, I... always called you that."

She blushed softly. "You did?" 

He nodded slowly, slowly beginning to eat the stew she'd given him, probably to keep from embarrassing himself more. 

She blushed softly and tucked her hair back. "Oh, I, Uh... never had someone call me that before..." she admitted before she mercifully changed the subject. "Is the stew alright?" 

He hummed pleasantly and gave her a smile. "It's very good." 

She beamed. "Really? I've been working on it, but it finally tastes just right!" 

"It's perfect." He chuckled. "You were always a better cook than me."

She had to laugh softly at the idea, sitting down next to him. "Somehow, I believe that...!" She teased gently

Her eyes wandered over him as they ate. He was quite regal, to say the least. His clothes, the way he sat, even the way he ate. He must be a prince where he's from. A prince... She felt comfortable with the idea, somehow. "Are...are you a prince...?" 

"The youngest prince of Asgard, at your service." He gave her a playful smile. "Technically king now, but only because of a few tricks on my end."

Jolene's face heated up with embarrassment. "O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were—!" 

He had to laugh, waving his hand to calm her down. "I'm not going to ask you to bow or anything, don't worry. You were always my equal." 

She blinked curiously. "I was?" 

He nodded. "More than Thor ever was." he told her. 

She blushed softly. "I couldn’t have been that grand..." 

He chuckled. "If you wanted, I could... bring you back to Asgard, show you everything you've forgotten, perhaps jog your memory somehow." He glanced around. "Though... I'm sure you're still reeling, and you'd be more comfortable here on earth. As awful as this place is."

She reeled a bit at his statement. "Excuse me?" she asked, feeling somewhat offended. 

"This place is so... backward, compared to Asgard." Loki sneered, glaring at his bowl and idly pushing the stew around. "So full of humans that are too busy squabbling for power and yet are somehow important enough to have Thor as their protector." 

She had been getting ready to scold him, despite the fact that she herself wasn't human, but he sounded... strangely bitter, not ignorant or even like he felt that he was superior to everyone here. But before she could question him about it, he seemed to realize it first and cleared his throat. 

"S-Sorry." He rubbed the side of his neck. "I'm sure earth means a lot to you, having been here for... centuries. Even I don't see why they're so appealing to you." 

She pursed her lips a bit. "Well... I don’t remember ‘centuries’..." she shook it off and gave him a gentle smile, "but I do remember that earth is still full of beautiful things and beautiful people..." 

"Is it?" he asked curiously.

She smiled a bit more. "Of course it is...! I’d show you, but I don’t exactly have the money for it." 

"Need I remind you I have magic?" As if to prove a point, he seemed to open a pocket and pull out a small dagger. "Who needs money when you have the Bifrost?" 

She blinked quickly at him. "Bifrost?" 

"It's a rainbow bridge that can transport us anywhere."

She just kinda stared at him. 

"What?"

"...Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now?" 

"I flew in as a falcon into your kitchen."

"I know!" She exclaimed softly, running fingers through her hair. "This is so wild...!" But it was also so incredibly exciting. "Well, if we can go anywhere without money, would you like to go with me? Exploring earth?" She smiled. 

He smiled back at her, and even though as far as she knew she'd just met him, she realized that she very much liked his smile. She wanted to see it more often. "I'd love to."

She smiled excitedly. "So... What would you like to see first?" 

He looked down at himself. "Perhaps we should start with earth's fashion sense first, these may draw a little too much attention."

She looked over him curiously. Yeah, unless he was going to a Comic Convention, he wouldn't blend in very well. "Hmm, good point...! I wonder what style you’d prefer." 

He shrugged obliviously. "I quite liked the suits I saw, but I doubt I can wear that all the time."

"Ooh, yeah, I think chic would suit you...!" she said thoughtfully, putting a finger to her cheek as she tried to imagine him in different types of popular clothing. 

"What in the world is 'chic'?" 

She burst out laughing at his utterly confused face and patted his back. They clearly had a long way to go, but honestly, it was fine by her. 


	4. A Whole New World

"I quite like this one." Loki said as he stepped out from the changing room, straightening the black suit he'd tried on. 

Sig- er, Jolene sat on a bench just a few feet away and giggled at him, putting a hand to her lips.

"What?" he asked. 

"Anymore black and you’ll look goth...!" she teased him playfully. 

"I don't know what that is." Loki said obliviously, admiring himself in the mirror. He could probably put his hair up in a bun, not many men had long hair nowadays.

"Imagine witches, vampires, werewolves, stuff like that." 

Loki chuckled, pulling the cuffs further down when he noticed they were slipping up slightly. "I suppose that's fitting, my mother was raised by witches." 

He saw her blink curiously through the mirror. "What, really?" 

He chuckled. "Really. She was a very wise and powerful sorceress, she can glimpse into the future." 

“I’m going to have to get used to you saying things like that.” she giggled, her beautiful eyes shining with interest. "Where'd your normal clothes go, anyway?" 

"Dimensional pocket." 

Her absolutely bewildered expression made him laugh lightly as he followed her over to the counter to pay for the suit. He watched her dig around her purse and hand the woman at the counter a 'hundred dollar bill,' he believed, before she motioned for him to follow. 

"I could have paid for it, I have gold." Loki told her as he walked alongside her. 

"Er, gold isn't really common currency around here." 

"You just use paper?" 

"Well, yeah, and coins made of metal." 

He must've looked incredibly perplexed because she laughed, a beautiful sound that threatened to melt his heart. "Now that we've got you some human clothes, what would you like to see? A movie? A dance? The theatre?" 

"I have no idea what a movie is, but I quite enjoy the theatre."

She smiled. "Great! But uh..." Then her smile became more sheepish. "It’s kinda expensive..." 

He smirked at her. "I can get us in easily."

She blinked. "Really?" 

He nodded and took her hand, leading her along. "Let's go!"

She yipped a bit but laughed as she led him to the theatre. Loki curiously looked around, watching how people went up to some sort of booth to pay for the tickets before he led Sigyn around the back.

She squeaked a bit. "Where are we going?" 

"Last time I was on earth, I discovered something called 'fire escapes'." He smirked when he found one in the back of the building and lead her towards the back entrance. He jiggled the handle, then pushed it down hard enough to force it to unlatch. "Ta-da~"

She gapped at him. "This is so very illegal..." 

"Only if you get caught." he said with a mischievous smile, shrugging his arms as he walked backward into the building.

She looked like she was bordering on protesting, but she just ended up giggling as she followed, and he could see the exhilaration in her eyes. He took her hand and led her through the backstage, narrowly avoiding actors and security as they made their way around to get to the seating areas. He led them up to one of the empty private balconies and sat down, bidding her to take a seat with him.

She smiled as took a seat. "How did you do that??" 

He chuckled. "I'm quite good at sneaking around, even without my magic. I've had centuries of practice."

She smiled at him. "Really? Doing what?" 

"Pulling pranks on everyone at the palace." he laughed. "Especially my brother." 

She giggled happily and he grinned at her, then they both looked up as the tale of Macbeth began to unfold onstage. 

It didn't take long for Loki to lean forward with an intrigued expression, quite enjoying this play. Witches, prophecies, murder, and unforeseen twists, it was all incredibly captivating. And he had to admit, the actors were quite good. He almost believed he was actually watching these characters work to defeat each other, a classic battle between good and evil. 

When the intermission allowed them some time to talk, he asked Jolene, "Shakespeare was the man who wrote this play, right?" 

She smiled and nodded. “Yes, he was! He wrote many pieces of literature that we enjoy.”

"I think I met him once." Loki hummed thoughtfully. "Charming fellow. I need to catch up on his works, he clearly went far...!"

She blinked quickly at him. 

"What? I've visited earth before." Loki said simply. 

“Even though you don’t like it?”

"I mean, in my youth, I quite liked causing trouble down here. I just never stuck around."

She giggled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?" 

He chuckled. "Because you used to come with me, sometimes."

Jolene gawked at him. “I did? What did we do?” She asked curiously

"I wreaked havoc, you helped certain mortals if you thought they needed help." he said with a wistful smile.

She softened gently. “Did I? That... sounds like me.” She scoffed in a bit of amusement. 

He smiled softly with a chuckle. "You always dragged me along anytime you needed mischief done."

“I needed mischief done?” She asked curiously. 

"Oh, you know, tracking down a long lost love, rescuing orphans, murder, playing pranks on corrupt officials."

She blinked very quickly, looking incredibly alarmed. 

His face broke into a grin at her expression and he tried his best not to burst out laughing. "I'm joking, I'm joking...! You're too soft-hearted to have anyone murdered."

She let out a breath and laughed in relief. “Oh, my gods...!" 

"I'm a trickster." He laughed.

“Clearly!” She giggled with a blush

He snickered. "You always loved my pranks."

She smiled softly at him. “I can imagine...!”

He smiled back at her and when the play began again, he leaned forward in his seat, excited to see what would happen next. 

After the play finished, Loki insisted on seeing the library to pick up the rest of Shakespeare's works, and perhaps some history books about the past century or two. Jolene had to giggle at him as she led him there. She was sure that the library was rather small to Loki compared to Asgard, but he seemed happy to look at all the books. It was like he felt right at home here.

She stood back while he passed every shelf with his fingers tracing the spines of every book, smiling gently at how focused he seemed. It felt familiar, watching Loki pick out any books that caught his eye, and she could feel something deep in her resurfacing. She could almost see a young boy in his place, gathering books and taking in every word as he read through them with surprising speed, a warm feeling glowing in her chest

"Sig?" 

His voice snapped her out of it and looked up at him with a blink. “I-I’m sorry, what?”

He chuckled at her, looking amused. "I was saying that there seem to be quite a few books on the American Captain, it's quite amusing."

She smiled gently. “Oh yes, there is quite a bit of history on him.”

"I only met him briefly, but he was very amusing." With a wave of his hand, suddenly Captain America was standing before her. "'On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.'" Loki mimicked his voice perfectly. 

Jolene gawked for a moment before she burst out laughing. “Does he actually sound like that?” She giggled, putting a hand to her lips

Loki snorted as he changed back. "Yes, he does. To the point that Stark himself looked like he was about to laugh at my impression." 

She giggled and watched as he picked out a few other books before he returned to her side. “Find everything?”

"Yes, I did." He grinned, and she found the way his eyes seemed to shine with interest incredibly adorable. "I'm eager to learn."

She smiled and waved him along. “Let’s check them out then!”

He happily followed behind her. She checked out all his books and she was kind of surprised that Loki was able to carry them all with ease. 

“How are you going to read all these in time??” She laughed

"Don't doubt my power." He smirked playfully.

She giggled at him, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Ooh, sorry, tricky boy." 

He scoffed as he followed her through the city. "'Tricky boy'? That's awful." 

She laughed. "Hey, I work hard on my nicknames." 

Loki chuckled at her, mirth dancing in his eyes. "If you need to give me a nickname, you could just call me Lie-Smith." 

She looked up at him curiously. "Lie-Smith?" 

His skin seemed to become pinker and he averted his eyes, looking around at literally everything they passed. "It's what you always called me growing up." 

"Oh." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "How did we meet?" 

He looked back at her in surprise, probably not expecting that kind of question right now, but he obliged. "Well... your parents wanted to give you a good education, and since you were gifted with magic, my mother offered to take you in and teach you." 

"So I can do magic?" She was certain her eyes were shining. 

He gave her a smile. "Yes, you can. We trained together for a while after you came to live in the palace, but we met before you arrived there." 

She tilted her head as they got to her place, unlocking her door and leading them both inside. "How?" 

"Well... any time there is a visitor from another realm like Vanaheim, there is a parade to welcome them to Asgard. My brother and I never really left the palace, but I was incredibly curious and we snuck out to see our new visitors." His expression became wistful as he put all the books down on the coffee table. "You and your parents were being brought in a blue and white carriage, the colors of Vanaheim. I got separated from my brother because I was so excited to meet you, another magic-user like me, and, funnily enough, a gust of wind blew your fan out of your hand." 

She listened to his every word closely and tried her best to imagine the scene. A beautiful summer, cheering crowds, a boy with black hair and green clothes dodging in between the guards that kept the people at bay. A wind blowing by and her hand loosening around her fan, letting it fly out of her grasp and into the lithe hand of the boy. 

"I got it back to you and the guards brought me and my brother back to the palace when they realized we'd snuck out." Loki chuckled softly, amused. "Odin didn't get to punish us because we had to be there to greet your family. And my mother introduced us to each other since we'd be working together in her class." 

Jolene smiled softly, imagining large doors opening as she followed her parents in, only to meet the gaze of the boy she'd met in the street. She wondered if she was surprised or happy, or maybe even both, to know that the boy she'd met in the streets had been the son of the Queen she'd be studying under, the prince of a mighty kingdom. 

"And ever since, we were quite the pair of magic-users." Loki chuckled, sitting down on her couch. "An Asgardian and a Vanir, a match made in Valhalla." 

She felt her face heat up, but she had to giggle as she sat beside him. "I assume I had to keep you out of trouble?" 

Loki laughed. "Oh, certainly. We balanced each other perfectly, gave each other a new perspective on things." 

Jolene smiled softly. It sounded amazing, the life she'd lived a long time ago. She wished she could remember it all. 

"Can you tell me more?" she asked him. "About... us? Asgard, Vanaheim, all that?" 

He looked at her and she felt her heart stutter as she stared into those emerald orbs of his. She didn't remember him, not really, and yet... she felt as though she were flying just by looking into his eyes. And his smile... it was a smile she wanted to treasure forever. 

"I'd love to." 

They sat there for hours, with Loki telling her all about the Nine Realms, telling her stories of their childhood together, all the fun they had. And she listened the whole time, her imagination running wild with the descriptions of the worlds he'd visited. It all sounded so magical, and she hoped to see it one day. And he promised her that they would, the Nine Realms were theirs to explore soon. 

And as the day passed them by, she slowly started drifting off next to him. She tried to stay awake, but she just couldn't shake it off. At some point, she ended up resting her head on his shoulder, listening to his soothing voice. She vaguely noticed that a blanket was being draped over her body and smiled a little with a small, content sigh.

And as she drifted off, she just barely registered his voice whispering, "Goodnight, Sigyn..." 


	5. Be Prepared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a fun and silly chapter, but it got a bit more serious near the end. xD Whoops!

"How did you finish all those books in three freaking days?!" Jolene gawked the moment she got back from her job, seeing Loki's 'finished-books' pile stacked with every book they'd gotten from the library. 

Loki laughed, one leg folded over the other as he leaned on the comfortable couch, watching her close and lock the door behind her. "I told you I'm a fast reader. 

"Clearly!" She looked utterly amazed that he read them all so quickly. "How'd you like them?" 

"It was all quite fascinating." Loki hummed with a pensive expression. "And a little confusing." 

"That's history, baby." She giggled and plopped down beside him. "What did you learn?" 

"Well, I can see why Thor likes the American Captain so much. I mean, crashing a plane into the Arctic? He's as reckless as my brother." He rolled his eyes in amusement, flipping through the book until he landed on the page about the Captain's best friend. "Though, to be fair, I suppose he did lose this... 'James Barnes.' Norns know how many reckless things Thor's done since I've been gone." 

He put the book aside to pick up the one about Tony Stark, a man he should, by all means, despise. He flaunted his wealth just as Thor had flaunted his strength and his crown, he believed he was always right even when others tried to tell him he was horribly wrong, and certainly as reckless as Thor, especially for a mortal. And yet his book was one of the first Loki had decided to pick up, because beneath all the glamour and the rich-man act... he saw a kindred spirit. 

"And a lot of what I suspected about Stark was true." 

Sigyn- no, Jolene, her name was Jolene now- gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?" 

He slowly flipped through the pages of the book, having no doubt that a lot of the information must have come from Stark himself. He doubted the man could resist having some part to play in the books written about him. 

"Well... there's little mention of his father, aside from the brief rundown of history that leads to Stark's life. He speaks of his mother quite highly, whenever asked about her, but his words on his father seem more like he's talking about a colleague, not a father." And Loki knew quite well what it was like to admire and respect your father, but never know anything more than a mother's love. "And he became Iron Man after he realized what his weapons were being used for. He's trying to be a better man, even though he doesn't think he is." 

Jolene watched him with those bright blue eyes of hers that always felt like they could see right through the walls he had spent centuries building up around him. "You sound like you know the feeling." 

He was quiet for a moment before he closed the book and put it aside. "Well... I do." He then cleared his throat, eager to move on before she asked any more questions. "So, what books would you recommend to me? I'm sure earth has a plethora of books I've never read." 

She grinned and hopped up, going over to pluck a book from a small sheld before returning to his side. "This is one of my favorites." she told him with an excited grin as she held it out to him. 

He took it curiously and looked down at the title. "'Pride and Prejudice'?" 

Jolene nodded and happily sat down beside him. "It's a really good romance story...! And before you go off saying romance genres suck, it's actually a _really_ good book about defying societal norms and following your heart and--" 

"I actually quite like romance." Loki interrupted her, flipping the book over to read the synopsis. 

She blinked at him, looking quite surprised. "Seriously?" 

He had to chuckle at her. "Yes, of course. Did you assume all men hate romance stories?" He gave her a scandalous look. "How awful Midgard must be to teach you such things." 

He watched as her freckled cheeks go pink with embarrassment and she started shaking her head frantically. "I-I, er- I didn't mean it like that! I just-!" 

He laughed and placed a hand on her back to calm her flustered babbles. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. My goodness, you're too easy to fluster." 

He watched with amusement as her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink and she shoved him away. "You're a jerk!" 

"Why thank you!" He laughed. 

She pouted at him, and it was so adorable he was tempted to flick her cute pink lips just to tease her. But he decided not to, the poor thing was embarrassed enough already. 

"Why did you assume I wouldn't like romance, anyway?" Loki asked curiously. 

She fiddled with her hair, still looking embarrassed. "Well, most guys I've dated never really liked romance movies or books, they thought it was stupid." 

Loki very nearly choked at her mention of men she's dated. But he managed to keep his nonchalant facade up enough to actually listen to her. It made sense that she'd date other men anyway, she didn't remember him, so he just reminded himself not to take personal offense. 

"I mean, I can't blame them, a lot of modern romance is mostly catered towards women, so they're probably going to be reluctant anyway, but... it kind of hurts, having them dismiss Jane Austen's works as just... girly stuff. She was really ahead of her time." Jolene frowned, looking quite saddened, and Loki felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. 

Before he even thought about it, he took her hand, squeezing it softly to reassure her. "It's hard to change people's views of the world sometimes. So just focus on what makes you happy." 

To his delight, her face seemed to warm up more when she looked down at their hands before she gave him that smile he adored so much. "Thanks a lot." 

He smiled back at her and pulled his hand away, not wanting to make her feel awkward. Looking down at the book, he found that he was kind of excited to read it. Sigyn had always had wonderful tastes, even if their opinions differed on some things, but even if he didn't end up liking it, he would do anything to see her smile and let her talk about her favorite things. 

"Oh, and you mentioned you wanted to show me something yesterday?" he said, deciding to save the book for later. "Something about 'movies'?" 

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, yeah! I have _got_ to show you the Disney classics!" 

He watched with a bewildered expression as she scurried over to the flat-screen device and pulled out some sort album that had a bunch of disks in it. Despite how confused he felt at why these 'Disney classics' made her excited, he honestly didn't care about what they were. Jolene was clearly passionate about whatever these were, and he was willing to try it out, even if he didn't end up liking it. 

"Hmm, maybe we could start with Snow White? Maybe Sleeping Beauty? Ooh, or Lion King, I think you'd love that!" She picked out several disks and put them next to the screen before she scurried into the kitchen. "Oh, oh, popcorn! We can't forget the popcorn!" 

He waited there, utterly confused as the used the beeping device to warm up whatever popcorn was. At the very least, he knew to expect the popping sounds that came from the beeping device. When she came back, she had a bowl of some strange yellow food that she handed him before quickly going to put the disks into some other device. 

"Stop looking at it like it's gonna attack you and just trying it." Jolene giggled at him as he examined one of the little pieces. 

He shot her a wary look before carefully putting it into his mouth. Oh. This was surprisingly good. And thankfully it didn't pop while in his mouth. Jolene grinned as she plopped down beside him and turned on the screen.

"After this, you're gonna be singing songs for days." she giggled. 

He scoffed at her. "Never." 

It would seem that Snow White was the first 'movie' she had decided to show him, and he expected it to be like the play they'd seen just last week, with actual people in costumes, not... a moving painting. 

"What kind of magic??" Loki said, his voice full of awe as he watched the painting move across the screen. 

"It's animation." Jolene giggled. "This was the first hand-drawn animated movie from Walt Disney." 

"This is _hand-drawn_?? But it looks so... so real...! And yet not??" 

Jolene laughed, her eyes shining with delight at how entranced he was by the moving painting. "It takes a lot of time and effort to make these types of movies, but it's always worth it. They're incredibly beautiful. The story's simple, but it's worth it." 

Loki completely agreed. He was practically hypnotized by the screen as he watched the story play out. It was certainly a simple story, good versus evil, love conquers all, and usually, he'd just roll his eyes but he was too fascinated by it all to care. Even though they were nothing but paintings, they seemed real, _alive_. Even most plays he'd attended hadn't captured his attention like this, and when the queen transformed into an old hag, it truly looked like magic on earth. Sure, there were some holes in the story, but when it ended, he felt himself smiling a little at the happily ever after, despite how hard he tried not to. 

"This is what humans can create?" 

"Yep." Jolene smiled proudly, almost smugly, at being proven right. "Our imaginations can run pretty wild." 

And she began to show him more animated classics. Not all of them had the same style, but they certainly had the same themes about love and focused mainly on princesses, and he pointed this out sometimes, but mostly just enjoyed the movements and the songs. And my gods were the songs catchy as hell, especially the villain songs. 

And when he watched the Lion King... well, if he had to hug a pillow to keep himself from crying at a _certain part_ of that movie, and if he had to hide the horrible swirling emotions in his chest the rest of the movie, no one had to know. 

The next morning, Jolene yawned as she made her way out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen, eager to get some coffee to wake her up. She wasn't surprised to see Loki already awake and in the kitchen, warming up some tea (she'd get him addicted to coffee, just you wait) and... humming? No, he was _singing_ , not very loudly, but _definitely_ singing. 

_"So prepare for the coup of the century_

_Be prepared for the murkiest scam_

_Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning,_

_Decades of denial is simply why I'll..."_

She stared at him as he dipped his tea bag into the hot water, not even realizing he wasn't alone. He was a pretty good singer, hitting the notes quite well in a soft, almost hypnotic voice that fit the song incredibly well. His voice made her heart race, made her cheeks flush, and almost made her want to get closer to listen to more. And then she blinked at herself, incredibly shocked by her reaction to someone _singing_. Then again... it wasn't the first time he did small things that elicited these sorts of reactions. 

He hummed the rest of the song as he took up the mug and turned around, then he jumped like a startled cat when he saw her standing there. "Sig! Er, Jo- I, um... I didn't see you there." 

Jolene had to laugh at how over the top his startled expression was. If she hadn't heard him singing a minute ago, one might've thought she'd caught him with his hand in the cookie jar! "I told you you'd be singing Disney songs...!" 

Loki's face turned a cute light pink color, but it didn't take long for it to fade, his startled expression changing to one of confusion and relief. "You're not... mad?" 

The question caught her off guard and she stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What? Why would I be mad?" 

"It's, um... a _villain_ song." 

"Yeah, so?" She was still very confused as to why she would be mad about that until she took in his nervous and ashamed expression, the way he averted his eyes...

 _Oh_.

She went over to him, placing a hand on his arm as she watched him with a frown. "You think you're not supposed to because of... what happened?" 

He very slowly nodded. "Liking villainous songs doesn't quite... reflect anything good about me. Especially with... that _particular_ one." 

"What's wrong with Be Prepared?" she asked, genuinely confused why that song seemed so especially taboo to him. 

He gave her a wry smile, a cold look in his eyes. "One brother jealous of the other going to extreme lengths to get what he wants? It hits quite close to home. Except he actually succeeded." 

His smile quickly faded again and she had to frown at how ashamed he looked at the fact that he could so easily relate to the villain, at how he so easily believed that indulging in such things made him look like an awful person. And to some extent, she could understand why. What he did, in the eyes of the world, was unforgivable. To them, he was as bad as the villains that plagued the heroes in fiction. From how he reacted just by getting caught singing one of the villain songs, he must believe it too. 

And for what felt like the hundredth time since he first stepped into her apartment, she looked deep into his eyes. Gentle, intelligent forest green. Not the chilling blue she'd seen in Germany. This was Loki, the _real_ Loki. The expression on his face told her as much. 

She gently put her hands on his, sorrow and sympathy squeezing her heart at the way she felt his fingers shake against her palms. "They're not real, Loki. You're meant to like them, or at least enjoy watching them." 

He looked up at her in confusion. "But... they're villains. Monsters. Murderers." 

"They're not real." she told him gently. "And a lot of people's favorite characters are the villains, for lots of different reasons. You don't agree with them, but they're fun to watch, and their songs are freaking catchy...!" 

She gave him a reassuring smile and to her relief, he very weakly returned it. He looked hesitant, but she refused to let him think that liking villains was a bad thing. 

"And it's okay to relate to them sometimes, as long as you don't actually start doing what they do." she told him, then she added before he could retort, "And _no_ , being forced to by that weird stone thing does _not_ count, so don't you dare." 

An amused smile formed on his face, bigger than the one from before, and she felt triumphant that she could get that out of him. She didn't like seeing him frown. "You're as stubborn as I remember." 

"Good to know I can still handle you." She gave him a playful smirk and his responding laugh made her heart feel so incredibly warm. "Now, where did you leave off?" 

He looked at her in confusion as she let go of his hands, playfully tapping her chin as she walked a few feet away.

_"Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning...!"_ She spun back to face him, dramatically sweeping her arm out to reach for him, inviting him to follow. 

_"Decades of denial_

_Is simply why I'll...!"_

He looked at her extended hand with a slightly hesitant look, but she gave him a big smile that she hoped would encourage him to just have fun. To indulge in something that didn't actually matter because he was trying to be good. He wasn't a villain. Didn't mean he couldn't sing a villain song, though! 

After a moment, he put his mug aside on the counter and took her hand with a chuckle. _"Be king undisputed"_

She let out a small yip of surprise when he suddenly pulled her closer and took her other hand to draw her into a dance as they moved from the kitchen to the living room. She had to laugh as he spun her around, a playful smile on his face. 

_"Respected saluted!"_ He spun her out with a mischievous smirk that would make most people wary, but to her, it made her happy. 

_"And seen for the wonder I am!"_

She laughed and spun back to him, the two quite close now. She saw his cheeks turn pink and could feel the heat rise in her own cheeks, but she didn't want the moment to be interrupted. So she gave him a teasing grin and poked his nose, loving the way it scrunched up. 

_"Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared_

_Be prepared!"_

She dramatically threw her arm out to the side as she sang, enjoying having someone else to enjoy these things with her. And seeing him copy her movements and sing the final lines of the song with her made her smile, so happy she could let him relax enough to just have some fun. 

_"Yes, our teeth and ambitions are bared!_

_Be prepared!"_

They both collapsed onto the couch behind them, laughing. She looked up at him, watching as his face seemed to light up with delight. It was one of the few moments that really made her think she was looking at a younger version of him that she must've known, a much more carefree version of him that she must have adored. 

What happened to that boy? To make him become so distant and fearful of himself? She wanted to ask, but... seeing how happy he was, feeling his hand still embraced in hers, all she wanted right now was to keep that beautiful smile on his face. 


	6. ET

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 10/9/2020: I've decided to make some additions to this chapter, you'll see why. ;)

"I hate this so much." 

"No, no, y-you look great...!" Jolene couldn't stop herself from laughing at how awkwardly he stood in front of her. 

The poor thing had his arms slightly extended out like he thought he might fall over in his new clothes. She had insisted they get him something a little more casual for today, and he'd picked a long-sleeved green shirt and jeans, and she had to admit they suited him quite well. 

"I feel naked." he huffed, pink coloring his cheeks as he folded his arms. 

"Oh come on, it's not revealing at all...!" She snorted. "You even have long sleeves when it's relatively warm." 

He huffed at her. "I still don't like it." He awkwardly tugged at his sleeves, looking rather self-conscious. "Why do I even need these, anyway?" 

"Because I wanted to take you to the animal shelter I volunteer at every weekend and I doubt you want to ruin your suit." She chuckled at the way he seemed to pout at her. "I think you'd like it, though...! We have different animals like cats and dogs...!" 

He blinked at her obliviously. "What are dogs?" 

She gave him a blank stare and he just sort of stared back at her. "You're joking." 

"No, really, what is a dog?" 

"You're joshing me." 

"I'm not lying, I have no idea what that is." 

She gawked at him. "Oh, my gods, you really have no idea what dogs are." 

"No, I don't." 

"We need to fix this right away!" She grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the register, the young man yipping in a bit of surprise. 

They got the clothes paid for and she led him down into the subway so they could hop on a train. Loki looked disgusted by everything around them, his arms pressed so tightly against his sides it was like he wanted to melt into himself to avoid touching anything. 

"This place is disgusting." he sneered. 

"Yeah, I know." she admitted. "But it's good transportation." 

He grumbled and covered his ears as their train came screeching to a halt before following her onto the car. They both sat down together with Loki warily watching the people around them, but no one really paid them any mind, caught up in their own little worlds. 

"I don't like being around so many people." he muttered. 

She placed a hand on his arm and gave him a small smile. "I know, but I promise, no one really knows what you look like. Not here, anyway. That was classified info." 

He pursed his lips, still looking uncomfortable, but thankfully relaxed under her touch. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some sort of green ribbon before using it to pull his hair back into a bun. And she desperately hoped her blushing face wasn't terribly obvious. 

The whole ride, she was reviewing the cover story she'd made for him over and over again until she was certain she would remember it. 

They climbed off the train at their stop and emerged back into the city, just a block away from the shelter. She held his arm the whole time, grinning. 

"Remember your cover story?" 

He gave her an overdramatically exasperated sigh. "Actor from the UK, I know, I know, it's not the first time I've lied, Jo." 

"Good." She grinned encouragingly as she pushed the door open to the shelter. 

"Oh hey, Jo!" the young woman at the desk, Stacy, greeted with a grin. "How was work this week?" 

"Ah, you know, same old." Jolene chuckled, putting her hair up into a ponytail. "Oh, but there was some interesting news about Dr. Helen Cho...! She's managed to create synthetic tissue, it's really cool...!" 

"Amazing...!" Stacy beamed before her eyes then darted to Loki. "Who's the new guy?" 

Jolene glanced over her shoulder, seeing Loki just sort of awkwardly standing there, puffing a loose strand of hair out of his face. "Oh, this is Tom." she lied with a smile. "Tom Hiddleston. He's a new friend of mine." 

She glanced up at Loki to see him put on a polite smile as he greeted her friend. "It's a pleasure." 

Stacy gave him a grin and extended a hand out to him. "Nice to meet you! Name's Stacy. You from the UK?" 

He looked confused at the way she held out her hand but shook it anyway. "Er, yes, I'm from London." 

"That's really cool!" She smiled at Jolene. "How'd you guys meet?" 

"Online." She shrugged with a smile. "So anyway, anyone new?" 

"We've got a Golden Retriever, recently rescued. He doesn't have a name, so we're trying to figure that one out." 

"What's his story?" she asked, not noticing Loki wander away from her while she was in the middle of her conversation. 

Loki's interest in the conversation quickly vanished, much more interested in the barking coming from a room behind the desk. Very curious, he wandered away from them and went into the room, shoving his hands into his pockets. All around him were creatures he had never really seen before. They were like wolves, and yet... not? They came in different sizes and shapes and colors, some with deeper barks than others, some with more fur and others with less. Were these the 'dogs' Sig had gone on about? Hanging on every door was a piece of paper that seemed to have the creatures' names on them, as well as their ages. All except for the last one he got to. 

In the last cage was a rather large dog with heavy fur, curled up on a bed with a pair of bowls beside it. The dog perked up when he noticed him and immediately hurried over to the cage door. Loki knelt down and stared into the eyes of the sandy-colored dog as it panted with a stupidly happy expression, its tongue sticking out. "I'm naming you Thor." 

"Why Thor?" a voice asked from behind him. 

"Because he has the same foolish face Thor does." 

He looked over his shoulder to see a young man with ruddy brown hair beginning to laugh, leaning on a cane at his side. He had freckles like Sigyn, but they were splashed over most of his face while Sig's were sprinkled across her nose, cheeks, and shoulders. Loki knew immediately from the lack of magical aura that this young man was an ordinary human, but despite that fact, Loki couldn't help but smile a bit at his laughter. 

"I think it's a good name for him." the young man chuckled as he limped over, leaning heavily on his cane. "And someone will definitely want to adopt a dog with Thor's name." 

Loki snorted as he stood back up. "They're idiots then." 

"Not a fan?" the young man chuckled. 

"Nope." 

He laughed again at his honesty, before holding out a hand to him. "The name's Theodore, Theodore Bell. But everyone just calls me Theo." 

Loki glanced down at his hand, before carefully reaching out to shake it. "L- er, Tom. Hiddleston." 

Theo grinned. "Nice to meet you, Hiddleston." 

The dog started to whine and stood up against the door, clearly wanting to get out and meet them. The young man carefully opened the door, putting a leash on the dog's red collar before leading him out. The dog jumped around the disabled man happily, before he started pulling on the leash to get to Loki as well. 

"Wanna pet him?" the freckled man asked. 

"No, I'm quite happy standing over here." Loki said, taking a few steps away from the dog. He didn't want to spend ages cleaning off his new clothes. 

"Tom, don't wander off...!" Jolene jogged into the long room up to his side, then looked up at the young man holding the dog. "Oh, hey Theo...!" 

"Hey, Jo." He grinned lightly. "Tom a new friend of yours?" 

Jolene smiled and nodded. "Yes, he is...!" 

Loki glanced between the two. "You know each other?" 

Jolene giggled at him. "Well, duh...! We both volunteer here. Oh, is this the new puppy?" she asked when she noticed the dog. 

The dog wagged his tail excitedly at the new person, whining and jumping to greet her. Theo laughed and handed her the leash so she could pet him. 

"His name's Thor." Theo chuckled. "Your friend came up with the name." 

"Did he now?" Jolene raised an eyebrow at him. "Why Thor?" 

"Just look at that face." Loki pointed at the dog, who gave him a painfully innocent look as his tongue stuck out of his mouth. 

Jolene looked down at the dog, then gave Loki a smirk that immediately made him suspicious. Before he could ask what was so funny, she let go of the leash and the next thing he knew, he was pinned on the ground by the dog with its slobbery tongue licking his cheek. 

"Sigyn!!" he exclaimed while she and Theo laughed a few feet away. 

The dog whined happily at him as he lay on his chest, staring at him with big brown eyes. Loki glared up at it, trying and failing to hold back his slight smile of amusement. 

"Yes, you are _certainly_ worthy of the name." 

Theo knew it was rude, but he couldn't help but stare at the black-haired man as he pushed the dog off him with a small laugh. He could have sworn he'd seen this guy before, he felt it in his gut. He didn't exactly have a face Theo would forget. He was tall and lithe with slim cheekbones and long dark hair and the most otherworldly green eyes Theo had ever seen. He _should_ know this guy, but ever since his... accident two years back, his memory had been pretty fuzzy. 

Theo limped over to help Tom back to his feet as Jolene pulled the dog back into his kennel. 

"Thank you." Tom nodded, then sneered at all the hair on his clothing and began dusting himself off. He had a similar accent to Theo, but it was a little... off, though Theo wasn't sure why. "Ugh, what a mess." 

Theo chuckled in amusement, looking up at his face. Now that he was closer, he realized that his gut had twisted up, his hair standing on end for seemingly no reason. "Do I know you from somewhere?" 

Nervousness flashed across the man's face and then vanished so quickly that Theo's trained eye just barely managed to catch it. "I'm an actor." he replied evenly, so calm that Theo almost doubted what he'd seen. 

"Oh? What movies were you in?" Theo asked as innocently as he could, leaning on his cane and keeping his own nervousness out of his voice. 

Tom pressed his lips together in a thoughtful manner. "Well... I was in... Narnia." 

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Which one?" 

"All of them." Tom replied. 

He'd admit it, this guy was a good liar. He'd be convinced if he hadn't caught that brief moment of nervousness earlier. Before he could continue his line of questioning, Tom spoke up, his eyes focused on his cane. 

"Why do you need that?" he asked. "Your leg seems fine." 

Theo had to snort at this guy's bold question, but his voice was so genuinely curious he couldn't be offended. "Got paralyzed back in 2012, during the whole invasion thing. And this guy," he reached down to pat his frozen limb, "never got better. So now I gotta use a cane." 

He watched as the color seemed to drain from Tom's face as he stared down at his leg. At first, Theo assumed from his horrified expression that he realized how insensitive his question had been. But then he noticed the small tremor in Tom's hand and the slight shake in his breathing. 

"Hey!" Jolene suddenly popped back up beside Tom, taking his arm and giving Theo a forced smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I really want to show Tom around the place. I'm sure he's going to love everyone here!" 

Theo raised an eyebrow at her but nodded. "No prob. Nice meeting you, Tom." 

"Likewise." Tim replied slowly as he followed Jolene. 

Theo went about his business, feeding the animals and giving them lots of love before moving on to the next one, but the entire time he kept an eye on the pair as they walked around the shelter. Jolene was showing him the younger dogs and cats they had here and excitedly held out a kitten for him to hold. 

"She's super sweet, you're gonna love her." she insisted. 

Tom sighed dramatically before taking the whining kitten into his hands and Theo paused what he was doing to watch as he held the little thing up to his face. His eyes were narrowed as if trying to either intimidate it or determine if it was a threat. And then the little kitten licked his nose, and Theo had never seen someone go from wary to utterly awestruck within the span of three seconds. 

"See, she likes you!" Jolene grinned at him. 

Tom laughed softly as the kitten continued to meow and lick his nose, his face lighting up. "Well, I quite like her as well." 

The feeling in his gut that screamed danger subsided shortly after Jolene started nearly drowning Tom in kittens. At that point, he'd had to sit down on the floor, laughing as they crawled all over him. One of the kittens tugged the green ribbon out of his hair, loosening his bun until those wavy black locks fell over his shoulders, and if Theo's face heated up at the sight, no one needed to know. 

By the time he was finished taking care of the other dogs about an hour later, Tom had put all the exhausted kittens back in with their mother, chuckling to himself as he gingerly petted the black mother cat. 

"You're doing wonderfully." he told her as if she could understand what he was saying. 

Jolene giggled at him, leaning against the wall as he closed the kennel back up. "We should get you a cat." 

He chuckled, then looked down at his clothes to see all the hair the kittens had left behind. "Ah, yes. Then I can deal with this every day." 

Jolene laughed and Theo had to smile gently at the two. Maybe his gut was wrong, Tom seemed like any other normal guy. Maybe his danger-radar was out of touch. After all, since his leg got paralyzed, he wasn't really out in the field anymore. 

"Enjoy the shelter?" Theo asked when Tom walked past him, peering into the golden retriever's kennel. 

"Yes, I quite like it." Tom smiled. "Sweet little creatures. Even if some of them drool." 

"I have never heard someone in this century refer to animals as 'creatures.'" Theo snorted in amusement. 

Tom gave him a smirk. "I'm older than I look." 

The smirk was innocent, teasing. But for whatever reason, it made his stomach drop and he could have sworn he stopped breathing for a moment. He only relaxed when Tom moved away from him. 

"Well, it's been fun, but I have some other things to do." 

"You're such a hermit." Jolene giggled. "You know your way back home?" 

"Of course I do." Tom replied dismissively, then paused. "Oh, wait. We came on those atrocious trains." 

Jolene laughed and went up to him, holding up her phone to show him what trains he needed to take. "Just be careful, alright?" 

"I'm not my brother, trust me." He rolled his eyes before turning to Theo. "A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Bell. Perhaps we'll meet again." 

With a small bow and a mischievous glint in his eye, he was gone. But Theo knew he'd see him again. 


	7. Greensleeves

The next day, Loki was lying down on the couch with the book Jolene had given him floating above his head, using his magic to turn the pages every minute or so. He quite enjoyed the story and the characters, and especially the themes. They reminded him so much of... well, himself and Sigyn. It was both heartwarming and painful, being reminded of what had once been. He wasn't sure they could ever go back to that when she had lost centuries' worth of memories that lead up to them eventually courting. And... he wasn't sure it would be best for her anyway. He wasn't the boy she loved, he was a terrorist that tried to take over the world as far as everyone on earth knew. The one that hurt her friend, Theo. And besides... the Mad Titan... he was still out there. And he still remembered the Other's threat... 

"Oh, here it is!" 

But before he could be dragged back into the personal hell that was his memories and imagination, he was snapped out of his thoughts by Jolene's triumphant voice. He looked up to see Jo digging around her closet and pulled out a long, rectangular case of some sort.

"I've been looking for you...!" 

"What is that?" he asked, sitting up and putting the book down beside him, though he made sure to mark the page with a temporary sigil to make sure he didn't lose his place. 

"It's an electric keyboard." She grinned at him as she hurried to the couch beside him, unzipping the case happily. 

"A what??" He curiously peered over to see what looked like a small piano tucked away in the case. She took it out of the case and put it on the couch before grabbing some sort of wires and plugging them into the wall and then into the piano. 

"It's basically a piano, but smaller and you can carry it with you." she explained, lifting the piano up onto her lap as she sat beside him. "Since you liked Disney songs so much, I wanted to show you how to play them, if you wanted." 

Loki watched with fascination in his eyes as she began to play a few notes. Before he knew it, his mind was running wild with theories about how it worked, since it was much too small to have any of the parts the pianos on Asgard had. Then she heard Jolene giggling and when he looked up at her, she had an amused expression on her face. 

"What?" he asked with a slight blush. 

"You're just such a deep thinker." she told him with a grin. "It's cute." 

He chuckled lightly. "I was just thinking about how well you play, Jolene." 

She blushed softly and smiled shyly at him. "Nah, it's not that great. I'm sure you could play instruments much better than I can." 

"In my culture, men don't really play any instruments." Loki scoffed, knowing how idiotic it sounded. "On Asgard, it was thought of as a woman's talent." 

She scrunched her nose up a little. "That sounds stupid." 

"It _is_ stupid." He moved closer to her, eyes on the keys, pretending not to notice how he was brushing up against her shoulder. "What songs can you play?" 

Even though he wasn't looking at her, he knew she was certainly blushing. "Well, I always loved this song." And she began to play a song that made his heart jump into his throat. 

_"Alas, my love you do me wrong, to cast me off discourteously..."_

And suddenly he was a teen again, passing by the music room of the palace when he heard the beautiful voice wafting gently through the air. And peering inside he saw none other than his pretty Sigyn, the woman he'd been admiring from afar for the past several hundred years, singing as she played on the harp. Her fingers ran across the strings as easily as one might move their hand through water. 

_"For I have loved you well and long,"_ she sang with utter grace, and Loki couldn't help but admire the way the sun seemed to make her hair glow. _"Delighting in your company..."_

She was utterly mesmerizing and he found himself leaning in the doorway, admiring her gentle voice. He had never heard this song before, so he assumed she must have written it. He didn't doubt it, honestly, she was so incredibly talented when it came to music and song. She could lull even the most vicious creature to sleep with her beautiful voice. Though he couldn't help but notice how longing and melancholy her song was. 

_"Greensleeves was all my joy,_

_Greensleeves was my delight"_

Her words made him perk curiously. 'Greensleeves'? He watched as her mouth tilted up in a fond, wistful smile, her eyes distant as if she were imagining someone there in front of her, not even noticing Loki. Only then did he realize he knew that he recognized that infatuated expression, and it made his face flush with jealousy. Moving through the music room quietly, he playfully tapping his old friend on the head to startle her, successfully forcing a surprised yip out of her. 

She looked up with wide blue eyes before her face flushed. _"Oh! Loki...!"_

He laughed and playfully leaned an arm against the harp. _"My Lady Sig, I didn't know you have a fancy...!"_ he teased her, despite his hope that it wasn't so. 

But her darkening cheeks suggested otherwise and she sheepishly glanced away, playing with her hair. _"E-Er, well... I don't think nothing would ever be allowed to come of it..."_

He scoffed. _"Because of class difference? Those rules are so stupid, even Thor scoffs at them. And Thor's usually all for the rules. Unless he wants to fight something."_

He himself practically _loathed_ those stupid rules. Sigyn was the daughter of lesser nobles of Vanaheim, technically a foreigner in Asgard. Princes were not meant to be with someone like her, they were meant to marry either someone of status in their own kingdom or another royal to create an alliance. But he never followed the rules, especially the ones he found _exceptionally_ nonsensical. And besides, he couldn't help the way he felt about the young Vanir woman before him. 

She giggled softly at him. _"Are you always so sassy?"_ she teased playfully.

 _"Yes, I am."_ He joking, making her laugh. _"So, who is this 'Greensleeves' you're so infatuated with?"_ he asked, giving her a grin that he hoped made it seem like he _wasn't_ plotting murder at that very moment. 

_"Greensleeves was my heart of gold"_

She stopped laughing and started bashfully twinging at the strings, glancing up at him through her lashes. _"Well... why don't you guess?"_

He raised a curious brow, then pursed his lips thoughtfully, trying to figure out who he had to murder. _"Well, cross Thor off the list, he never wears green."_

She put her fingers to her lips, clearly trying not to burst out laughing. 

He thought for another few moments before he gave her a teasing smirk. _"Is it Amora?"_

Her face turned beet red and she grabbed a pillow to hide her face in. _"Oh my goodness, Loki!"_ she scolded sharply. 

_"And who but my lady Greensleeves?"_

The error jolted him out of his memory and he spoke before he even thought it through, "That's wrong." 

Loki's voice made Jolene stop and look up at him curiously. "What?" 

He could feel his face heat up as he looked down at where her fingers had paused on the keys, hoping to hide his flustered expression. "It's not 'Lady Greensleeves.' Well, I suppose it _could_ be, but originally it wasn't." 

She blinked at him. "Then what is it?" 

Loki once again found himself in the midst of that beautiful memory, laughing at how utterly red Sigyn's face was. _"She's the only person other than me who wears green around here!"_

She said nothing at that, pressing the pillow closer to her face as if it could absorb her embarrassment. 

It took a moment to stop laughing, but when he did, he suddenly paused when he realized what he'd just said. _"Wait..."_

He was the only one who wore green in the palace other than Amora. Slowly his face heated up so much he was certain the rest of his body had no blood left. 

_"...Loki?"_ Sigyn asked, her eyes peering past the pillow. 

_"You... like me?"_ he asked, and if anyone other than Sigyn saw how stupidly agape his mouth was, they wouldn't live to see the moon rise. 

Her face became a dark pink color, but then she playfully sang with a sheepish smile,

_"And who but my darling Greensleeves?"_

Jolene blinked curiously at him, a curious expression on her face. "How do you know that's the right version?" 

Loki watched her for a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell her the... nature of their relationship in the past. But it had been so long since he'd heard that song... 

"May I...?" He motioned for the keyboard and she curiously nodded, letting him pull it into his lap. 

He looked over the keys, placing his lithe fingers on the ones he'd need to press to continue the song. It was weird, sitting at a sort-of piano again, after Sigyn's disappearance. He barely knew how to play, but this song... this song he treasured so much. 

"Can you keep singing?" he requested. "It's... be a long time since I heard this song." 

He watched her furrow her brow at him, her blue eyes glancing over his face as if searching for an answer, but thankfully obliged as he began to press down on the keys, her words taking him back to a happier time. 

_"Your vows you've broken, like my heart_

_Oh, why did you so enrapture me?"_

Loki knocked on his mother's door, feeling his hands shaking nervously. This was crazy, he told himself. He was a prince, he had responsibilities, he had vows to honor. And yet when Sigyn came to mind, none of that mattered. That's why he was here, waiting to tell his mother what he wanted. 

His mother opened the door with a curious smile. _"Loki...! What brings you here, love?"_

 _"I want to marry Sigyn."_ he blurted out before he could convince himself otherwise. 

He watched her face fall with surprise and she blinked at him for a moment. _"Oh. Well, darling, don't you think it's a little too soon?"_

Loki rubbed his arm nervously. _"I know Father wants me to marry someone wealthy when I'm older, and I know I vowed to do whatever was best for the kingdom, even marry, but... I love Sigyn, I don't want to marry anyone else."_

His mother smiled kindly at him and placed a hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing across his skin lovingly. _"Oh, my darling, you don't need to worry about that. We would never force you to marry someone you didn't love."_

 _"Then why does Father insist Thor marry Lady Sif?"_ Loki scowled, a protective fire sparking in his chest. _"He doesn't love her."_

She sighed. _"It's... complicated, my dear. If you want to marry Sigyn, I won't let anyone stop you. But not now, alright? You're both much too young to think of marriage."_ She smiled at him and brushed a stray strand of hair behind his ear. _"But if you'll be courting, there are a few customs I think you'll like to put into action."_

_"Now I remain in a world apart_

_But my heart remains in captivity"_

Loki watched from a distance as Sigyn politely spoke with some son of a knight during the ball, and he really didn't like any young man being close to his love. She was hiding behind her pink fan and he found himself fiddling with the gift he held in his hand behind his back. The moment he could get away from his oaf of a brother, he slipped through the crowd and approached Sigyn, his heart speeding up when he saw her smiling at him. 

_"Hello, my dear Sigyn."_ he greeted her, shamelessly wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him, enjoying the flustered looks on both her and the young knight's faces. _"Mind if I steal her away for a moment, soldier?"_

_"O-Of course not, Prince Loki."_

Loki ignored the young man's polite bow as he pulled Sigyn away, through the people milling about and behind a large pillar with curtains hanging on either side of it, hiding them away from the eyes of the people in the ballroom. 

_"Loki...!"_ she scolded, smacking his arm with her closed fan once she pulled away. _"You shouldn't be so rude."_

Loki chuckled. _"I can't help how protective I can be."_ he told her, then gave her an excited grin. _"And besides, I wanted to give you a gift."_

 _"A gift?"_ She tilted her head in such an innocently curious way, it made his heart melt. 

_"Greensleeves was all my joy_

_Greensleeves was my delight"_

He felt his heart started racing with excitement and maybe some nervousness as her blue eyes sparkled when he held out the beautiful green fan he'd had commissioned just for her. And there, elegantly embroidered into the fabric, was her name. 

_"I heard it's a tradition on Vanaheim for a man to offer his lady a new fan in his colors with her name to be embroidered into it, specifically in gold, to show everyone how much she's valued in the eyes of her love."_ he explained, suddenly feeling kind of shy, wondering what she would think. 

Beaming delight took over her delicate features as she opened the fan, looking over the lighter-green swirling designs printed onto the fabric. They almost looked like coiled serpents, which was part of the reason why he chose that fabric to be made into the fan. 

She suddenly threw her arms around him with a laugh. _"I love it! Thank you so much...!"_

He blushed deeply, his heart threatening to break out of his ribcage, but he couldn't help but smile as he embraced her in return. 

_"Greensleeves was my heart of gold_

_And who but my darling Greensleeves?"_

"You wrote it." Loki finally spoke up, breaking out of his trance as he stopped playing. 

Surprise took over Jolene's expression as she looked up at him. "What??" she asked in disbelief. " _Me_?? But I...?" 

He was quiet for a few moments, contemplating for a moment before he pushed the piano aside to get up and extend a hand to her. She gave him a puzzled look before slowly taking his hand and letting him pull her up. No doubt to her surprise and confusion, he pulled her in close, holding one of her hands in his while the other guided her to hold his shoulder. With a deep breath, green magic shimmered all around them, and within moments they were standing in a ballroom full of faceless figures. 

Loki was back in his regal clothing but took on his younger appearance, with his short black hair and much softer face. And standing before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever known. His dear Sigyn, with her beautiful golden hair tied back in a braided bun, her favorite deep blue dress hugging her body like an old friend with sleeves going down to her elbows. 

She gawked as she took in her surroundings, and then gasped when she looked down at herself. She looked up at him, completely startled by the sudden change, but he gave her a small smile to reassure her as he very gently led her into a dance. 

_"Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,"_ he sang softly, his voice carrying the wistfulness and melancholy Sigyn's voice had held the first time he heard her sing her song.

_"To God, I pray to prosper thee"_

He watched as her expression twisted into one of confusion, but also intrigue as she followed his lead, the two slowly dancing through the large ballroom. Even after so long, even though she didn't remember him and he had done so much wrong after her 'death'... he still loved her, still adored her. And as pessimistic and cynical as he could be, he desperately hoped that perhaps he could somehow jog her memory, somehow remind her of the love they once shared, bring back the memories of when they would sneak off or steal kisses behind curtains and doorways. 

_"For I am still thy lover true"_ he sang truthfully, lifting his hand up to gingerly brush her warm freckled cheek.

Her eyes were wide and he could see thousands of emotions swirl in them, and he felt fear begin to constrict around his heart. This was so reckless, she barely knew him, she would push him away and never speak to him again for his audacity. But he didn't let himself back down, still clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, she would remember him. 

_"Come once again and love me"_ he practically pleaded, something he never did, as he brushed a loose strand of golden hair back. 

_"Greensleeves was all my joy_

_Greensleeves was my delight"_

She was everything to him, the sun and moon and stars, the water and the air, the warmth of summer, and the calmness of the rain. She was all that and yet so much more. Now that he was here, taking this chance... he didn't care about Thanos or his violent 'children.' He just wanted to be with her again, to feel the happiness he felt a lifetime ago... Whatever happened, he wanted to face it with her. 

_"Greensleeves was my heart of gold..._

_And who but my darling Greensleeves...?"_ Sigyn finally sang again, her eyes filling with realization as they stopped in the very center of the room. 

He waited, daring to hope for at least a spark of the love she had once held for him. But... like so many times in his life, that hope was harshly snuffed out when she pulled away from him, and he could feel his heart begin to crack. He didn't try to stop her, though, letting his magic fade away so they were back in her apartment, trying desperately to keep his heart from shattering into a million pieces. 

"We were...?" she asked slowly. 

Loki hesitated but slowly nodded. "Yes..." 

She looked like she was reeling as she sat down on the couch, trying to process everything, and he felt horrid for so selfishly trying to rush things. He always ruined things, didn't he? 

"I-I'm sorry, I know... I know it's too soon, I didn't mean to..." He reached his hand out to her but then grimaced and pulled back. "I'm sorry... I'll... I'll just go..." 

"Loki, wait!" she called out as she extended her hand, but in a flash of green light, he was gone. 


	8. Believer

It was pouring by the time Theo left the shelter and limped back to his cheap apartment. The whole way back, he kept trying to think about where he'd seen Tom and why he caused such a bad reaction if he got too close. Thunder clapped above him and he was reminded of how he'd named the dog after one of the Avengers. The memory made Theo chuckle as he pushed open his door. Never had he met someone who so obviously disliked Thor and yet was willing to name something after him. Another clap outside of his apartment made him pause just after he closed the door behind him. 

The Avengers... On a hunch, he limped through his apartment and into his room, making sure to close the curtains and lock the door before he pressed his cane down on a specific floorboard, popping it open. He carefully sat down on the floor in order to reach down and open the safe that was inside, taking out his old SHIELD files. He flipped through them, smiling a little at the feeling of nostalgia that simultaneously warmed and broke his heart.

Mr. and Mrs. Sharp were the ones who brought him into SHIELD, his mentors, a deadly pair that always watched each other's backs. They were like the parents he wished he had, the only ones who really knew and cared for him. He still had pictures of them in these folders... 

He remembered that he'd been working on the helicarrier with Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, after Romanoff, Captain America and Iron Man had taken in the man that killed many of their fellow SHIELD officers and somehow brainwashed the others, but he didn't know what the guy looked like. He and the Sharps had been joking around as they made their rounds when an explosion had knocked them all off their feet. Theo had hit his head, that much he knew, and he remembered briefly seeing a bright blue light, but everything after that was a foggy blur until he woke up in the hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, however... 

After that, he'd been forced to leave SHIELD, due to the head injury that caused his paralysis. He still helped on occasion from home, but those were few and far between. He hadn't looked at these old files since he first moved in and shoved them into the safe. But now he looked at some of the details of the whole incident two years back, wondering if Tom had any sort of connection to it. 

But all he found was broad information about how Thor's brother, a guy named Loki, had come down with the intention of taking over the world and failing thanks to the Avengers. He and the Tesseract had been taken back to Thor's homeworld after his defeat. 

And this... didn't help Theo at all. He couldn't really see how Tom would be involved in any of this. He seemed like a normal guy, and so did Jolene. Well... except for his weird reaction when Theo mentioned how he'd gotten his injury. Maybe he was one of the guys this 'Loki' mind-controlled? Why would he control an actor, though? 

With a heavy sigh, he put the files back in the safe and sealed it up under the floorboards once again. This had gotten him nowhere. But now that he'd read a little more about what happened, he was kind of tempted to start reading a little more Norse mythology. Maybe it would help him somehow, even though he couldn't see how yet. 

He was such an idiot. What was he thinking??

Loki wandered through the streets in his black suit, running his hand down his face, berating himself for being so insensitive and stupid. He couldn't just shove that onto her, she was still reeling from just knowing that she was an Asgardian and that she had lost her memories. He sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead. He was so selfish to try and rush things. But... some tiny part of him hoped that maybe she would remember what they once had, that maybe things could go back to the way they were. Strange, how often his hope was crushed beneath fate's cruel heel only to somehow revive every time, even if it sometimes took a while. 

He felt uncomfortable walking around New York with his face out in the open, even if Jolene had told him no one really knew who he was. But he felt exposed, vulnerable. So he ducked into an empty alley and emerged as a 'she.' It was times like these that Loki really appreciated her woman form because technically, she wasn't hiding. She was still Loki and this was still her body, but no one would suspect a thing even if they knew who she was. 

Loki walked around for at least an hour before she stopped at a large plaque of some sort in an open area that was unusual for a crowded place like New York City. She frowned at it, seeing many many names etched into the metal. At least a few dozen. Flowers of all sorts lay all around the plaque, along with pictures of men and women, some ordinary citizens, some in uniform. Her eyes read over the large words above the names:

**_In memory of those who lost their lives on May 7, 2012._ **

"Did you lose someone too?" 

Loki flinched a bit before she looked down to see a girl around maybe 13 years old standing beside her, looking up at her with big blue eyes that reminded her too much of Thor. "Er... no. I'm just... looking." 

The girl nodded and moved closer to the plaque, placing a rose on it. "It would've been my mom's birthday today. She was a firefighter. She saved a lot of people." 

Loki felt her heart clench painfully in his chest as she stared at the names. "I'm... I'm sure she's in a better place." she told her. Heroes went to Valhalla after all. 

The girl frowned at her with an almost defeated expression, as if she'd heard the same thing many times before. "I know. I still miss her, though." 

Loki watched as the young girl walked away. So young, and yet forced to grow up so quickly... All because of Loki. Her fists clenched at her sides as she stared at the rose the girl left behind. 

By nightfall, it was beginning to drizzle and she was still wandering around aimlessly, the names and faces of all those people filling her mind, haunting her like vengeful spirits. How many more would she have killed if Thor and his friends had not been there to stop her? At the thought of her brother, Loki winced. Did he ever visit these memorials? Did he ever look at their faces, their names, their loved ones who came to visit them? 

Did he have to look them in the eye and know that it was his brother that killed their families? 

Loki growled in irritation, rubbing her temple. A year since she'd seen the oaf in person and he still managed to invade her mind no matter how much she tried to keep him out of her thoughts. She hated this, she hated Thor and his stupid lightning and rain, she wished he could just move on. But as she unconsciously raced a finger over her chest where she knew the ugly scar lay, she knew she was lying. 

She killed so many and hurt many more... She left destruction in her wake, left nothing but a trail of pain and suffering. She was nothing but the monster parents told their children about at night. She was nothing but the criminal her father--Odin believed she was. No matter how much she blamed Odin or Thor for pushing her to her limits, for not loving her the way a family should... she made her choices. Well... the choices that led her to Thanos, anyway... And even then, she had tried to kill her brother... No one forced her, no one controlled her... She tried to kill Thor. She almost succeeded. 

His brother had so bravely, so _stupidly_ , walked up to the Destroyer after it had razed much of the small town to the ground. Loki watched through the Destroyer's eyes, wondering what the actual _hell_ his brother was doing. 

_"Brother... for whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to this... I am sorry. But these people have done nothing to you. They're innocent."_

Thor had given him a smile, that pathetic little smile that he'd given him when they talked just before the coronation, and it had enraged him.

_"Take my life, and know I will never return to Asgard."_

It was an accident, a brief fit of rage at Thor's apology when he didn't even know why he was apologizing. He had momentarily forgotten Thor was mortal, he hadn't thought the blow would hurt him so badly... 

That was _her_ doing. Not Thanos, not the Other, not Odin. Loki chose to strike him, Loki almost killed his own brother. Maybe it was better that Thor didn't have her in his life. She was nothing but a snake in the grass, biting anyone that came close, both friend and enemy. Maybe it was best Sigyn have nothing to do with her anymore. 

Loki gnashed her teeth in irritation. She hated guilt, she hated sentiment, and she hated _feeling_ sentiment for that stupid oaf. He made his choices, she made hers, they were living separate lives, so why did he always come back to the forefront? She wished she could just forget him, it would be so much easier that way. And as though the Norns wanted to mock her, the drizzling rain suddenly began to pour onto her like a bucket of water had been dumped onto her head. 

Loki just stood in the rain for a moment before she clenched her jaw with a frustrated growl. "Do you always have to mock me?!" she angrily shouted at the sky. "Even when you don't realize it, you taunt me! You idiotic imbecile!" 

Thunder boomed above her, just making her irritation grow until she kicked over a random trash bin with a shriek of fury. She didn't care if she looked like a madwoman to anyone who might pass by, she just needed to get her frustrations out somehow. If her past self could see her now, throwing a temper tantrum, he'd have a fit. After a while of just kicking the trash bin hard enough to leave a noticeable dent and punching a hole into a brick building, she kept walking, shivering in the cold rain. She hated the cold, and she found herself constantly looking down at her hands to make sure they weren't turning an ugly shade of blue. 

At some point, she was walking past a bar and she could hear a woman singing inside. Normally, she would have just walked right by. After all, taverns and bars were Thor's thing, not hers. But as he passed it, she froze. She could feel... magic in there. Powerful magic that most certainly didn't belong on earth. Curious and wary, she slowly moved to the doors and pushed them open, stepping inside despite how absolutely soaking wet she was. 

_"...there's an old man sitting on a throne that's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut"_

All around her, young men sat at tables, whistling and admiring the blonde singer onstage. Her eyes were a mix of yellow-green, her black lips pulled into a smirk as held the microphone close, a low cut green dress hugging her body as she sang, a gloved hand extending out to the crowd, right at Loki. If she was surprised to see her, she didn't show it, grinning mischievously as she eyed her through her lashes. 

_"Straight for the castle."_


	9. Stupid With Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeyyyyyy...! Sorry for the long wait, some personal stuff came up along with writer's block, but I'll try and keep this story going!

She tried to catch him, his hand, when he left, but she only caught thin air. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach and she brought her hands close to her chest, playing with her fingers. What could she say? It was astonishing, it was marvelous, it was confusing, it was... disheartening. All he said, all they had been... and she couldn't remember any of it. A whole other life, a whole other love... A torrid of feelings swirled inside of her, all betraying each other. Excitement and grief, uncertainty, and longing... 

Her breath shuddered a bit and raked her hair back. She wanted... to talk to someone about this... But who would believe her... 

After a moment, she looked through her contacts and called the one person she thought most likely to believe her insane story. It took a few rings, but she eventually picked up. 

“Hey, what’s up?”

Jolene sighed a little in relief when she answered, running her fingers through her hair. "Hey, Verity. Do you have some time? I was hoping you might have time to talk me through some stuff..." 

"Uh, yeah, sure, what’s up?" Verity asked curiously. "Want me to come over?" 

She smiled lightly at the suggestion. "If you have time, that'd be great." 

"Trust me, I’ve got time." She chuckled. "I’ll be there in five." 

She smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Verity." 

When Verity hung up, she hurried around to get the house tidied up. She had known Verity for over five years and had learned that the woman had an uncanny ability to spot lies and truths. She’d have to believe her. But at the same time, she might freak out. I mean, who _wouldn't_ freak out if they were told the terrorist that almost destroyed New York was _living in her apartment_? Especially when Verity had been in the middle of the chaos with Jolene that night? And how would she react if she told Verity that she herself was an Asgardian... Vanir... person? But she couldn't exactly call off the visit because as promised, about five minutes later, her dear friend knocked. 

Jolene took in a deep breath before she opened the door and smiled. "Verity...!"

"Hey, Jo." Verity smiled back at her. Her long red hair was tied up into a bun and her arms were folded, the short sleeves allowing her to show off her beautiful tattoos. "What’s up?" 

She greeted her with a hug. "Oh gods, what isn’t?" Then she hurriedly pulled her inside. "Come in, please, come on in!" She took Verity to the living room where they sat down together on the couch. "That’s for coming so fast." 

"No problem." Verity said as she sat beside her friend. "So, what’s going on?" 

Jolene smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her fingers. "Well, I... it’s a long story... a crazy story..." 

She raised a curious eyebrow and shifted on the couch to face her properly. "Okay?" 

She blushed as she kept her eyes on her fingers. "Well, um... Remember that man in Germany...? The man with dark hair that made the whole place panic?" 

"How could I forget?" Verity puffed. 

She rung her fingers. "He might be back...? Living here... with me?" 

Verity was quiet for a moment. She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "...oh?" 

Jolene's face flushed. That was possibly worse than her freaking out about it. "J-Just, no, just listen, okay?? He’s not the same as he was in Germany, he’s not even close...! I know he has a bad reputation but if you just spend a day with him, you can tell the difference...! Something was wrong before... I felt it even back then like there was something off about him. But he’s better now... he just feels... right." 

Verity seemed to take all this in, pressing her lips together as her eyes seemed to look over her face before slowly nodding. "Okay... I believe you... But how the heck did this guy end up in your apartment of all places?" 

She blushed a little more. "He may have been... looking for me...?" 

Verity blinked at her. "Why??"

She diverted the question to a new one. "Verity, how long have we known each other?" 

She raised an eyebrow. "Like... five years at this point?" 

She smiled wearily at her. "I technically should be 38... Do I look 38 to you?" 

Verity watched her curiously, quiet for a moment. "No, you look like you’re still in your early twenties." 

Jolene smiled uncertainly. "I’ve never seen myself age... Then he came back looking for me because he saw me in Germany... Because he knew me even before then... We lived on Asgard together... I’m... basically immortal..."

Saying out loud it sounded ridiculous, but...

Verity stared at her for a moment. "...if I were normal, I’d think you were joking." 

She smiled sheepishly. "I’m pretty sure we’re both not normal and I still think I’m joking..." 

She snorted a bit. "So, basically... you’re from the same place that guy’s from, and you’re basically immortal." 

She slowly nodded. "Yes... and he and I were... in a relationship..." she practically whispered

Verity choked. "I-I’m sorry?"

Jolene played with her hands some more as she nodded shyly. "That’s... why he came to find me... We were dating... Well, he called it courting, but it’s basically the same..."

She blinked several times. "Wow." 

She slowly nodded, blushing. "And he just admitted... that he wants to go back to that..." 

Verity watched her for a moment. "And... do you?"

She pursed her lips uncertainly, playing with her pinky all the while. "I mean... yes?" She sighed and her shoulders fell. "I really like him, I think it would be wonderful, but... there’s so much I don’t remember... What if it's too soon? What if it isn’t what he thinks it will be?" 

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. So much was going through her head, it was all happening so fast. She barely knew him but everything she knew... she loved it all. His sass and wit, his naivete when it came to earth and its inhabitants, and the curiosity that shone in his beautiful green eyes with every new discovery. She had briefly dated guys before, sure, but... this was something new, and terrifying. 

"I called you because I don't know what to do... I feel crazy." she admitted. 

Verity hummed softly and then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well... I’m not gonna say I’m entirely for getting with a guy that is kind of infamous for bringing _aliens_ to New York... But if you like him, and he likes you, I say go for it. As long as he doesn’t, like... kick puppies for fun, or something psychotic like that." 

Jolene had to giggle. "Actually, he absolutely adores puppies...!" 

"Oh, then he’s a keeper." 

Jolene burst out laughing. "He actually had no idea what dogs were until I took him to the animal shelter...!" 

Her friend snorted and covered her mouth. "Seriously?!"

"Seriously!" She laughed. "What kind of place is Asgard that it doesn’t have dogs??" 

"I don’t know, but they need help!" 

She smiled and laughed with her friend. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, being able to admit all this without Verity thinking she was crazy. It was like she could breathe again, at least for a moment. But as she settled, the doubt crept into her head once more. 

"He admitted he wanted to be like that again... but he ran off before I could answer. I think it unnerved him." She frowned. "What if he's disappointed? What if I can't give him what he wants? I don’t know how to give him what we had before..." 

"Then he has to be willing to adapt." Verity told her, squeezing her shoulder. " You shouldn't push yourself just to please this guy. You don't have your memories, and if he cares about you and understands that, then he won't expect things to be exactly the same. Unless he's an idiot, and if he's an idiot, I'll slap him." 

Jolene couldn't help but burst out laughing at her friend's serious threat. "You wouldn't...!" 

"Try me." Verity snorted. 

Jolene laughed softly and tucked her hair back, feeling a lot better with her friend's encouragement. She could always rely on Verity to be real with her, to tell her what she needed to hear. "Thanks, Ver." 

Verity playfully nudged her side. "Anytime, Jo." 

Jolene looked out of the window, watching as drops of rain began to patter against her window. "Do you think he'll be back soon?" 

"He'd better. Or else I’ll slap him." 

Jolene laughed again. "Why are you so eager to slap someone?" 

Verity laughed too, playfully wrapping her arm around Jolene's shoulders. "Because I’m protective of you." 

"Aww, Verity!" Jolene cooed playfully. 

Verity rolled her eyes at her teasing, but she had a smile on her face. "Want me to stick around until he comes back?" 

"Yes, please, I desperately need help." Jolene giggled. 

"You do know I'm not the romance type, right?" 

"I knoooooow, but you're my friend and boys are our thing...!" 

"And girls." Verity added. 

"And girls, in your case, but still!" 

Verity chuckled. "Fine, fine." 

And so, Jolene began practicing what to say to Loki when he got back in front of Verity. And the whole time, she could feel the judgment radiating from her close friend at how _bad_ she was at this. And Jolene wholeheartedly agreed. 

Norns have mercy on her. 


	10. Update

Heyyyyyyy, so... it's been a while since I updated this story. A lot of stuff happened, including the fact I got Covid, and I've just been busy all around. Recently, I've reread my stories and I've decided I'm not quite happy with them. I didn't have too much of a plan with this story, unlike my previous one, so I'm probably not going to finish this one as it is. But since I know that maybe someone out there actually likes these as they are, I won't be deleting them, but I am planning on rewriting and improving them. So I'll just leave them up as a sort of reminder of where I started. To everyone who took the time to read my stories, thank you very much! I hope you'll come back to check out my improved versions soon! Love you! 


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